


Synergy

by Ballofstring66



Category: Arthurian - Fandom, Fantasy - Fandom, Fiction - Fandom, Loki - Fandom, Marvel Loki, Thor (Movies), Thor - Fandom, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Arthurian, Dragons, F/M, Fantasy, Frank discussion of sexual abuse, Frank discussions about rape, Infinity Wars, Loki - Freeform, Marvel - Freeform, Marvel Loki - Freeform, Obscenities, Post The Dark World, Ragnarok, Ravens, Sex, Shapeshifting, Swearing, The world tree, Thor - Freeform, Thor the Dark World - Freeform, Violence, Witch - Freeform, adult, but not to titillate, leading into ragnarok, mcu - Freeform, morgan le fay - Freeform, or my interpretation of it, sorcery, the collector - Freeform, the great ash, tom hiddleston - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 07:33:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 32,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7705966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ballofstring66/pseuds/Ballofstring66
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>“Never trust a survivor...until you find out what he did to stay alive.”<i></i></i><br/> <br/>Kurt Vonnegut, Bluebeard<br/>.<br/>--------</p><p>A sequel to Natural Born Killers<br/>---------</p><p>Now ruling Asgard in Odin's guise, Loki's past is inevitably going to catch up with him.</p><p>A crooked, little love story with just a dash of comedy plus a sprinkling of sex, action and adventure along the way.</p><p>This is what might have happened after The Dark World and leading up to and into Ragnarok - </p><p>Update - now I HAVE seen the film - I had no idea Surtur was in it when I wrote my chapters about him [months ago] though this deviates greatly from the movie - in fact there are really only a few touchstones to the movie and the rest was just my imagination.  </p><p>Also SLIGHT SPOILER warning for chapter 23 - so sorry to anyone who read it and didn’t want to know but that little nugget has been out there in various reviews for a while so it slipped by me.<br/>----------</p><p> </p><p>[please note that I do NOT write graphic descriptions of non-consensual sex]</p><p>-------<br/><br/>I created Morgan about 5 or 6 years ago and roleplay on tumblr if you want to hit us up - @icouldkillyouwiththistray</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"What makes you think I _have_ it?" Each word was enunciated with a mannered correctness that gave them an odd cadence. The Collector made a small movement with his fingers to emphasise his question as he scrutinised the woman in front of him. He was deflecting her from her purpose only because he wanted more time to study her now that she had finally crossed his path, after all these centuries of waiting.

"Because everything ends up in your hands, Tivan, do you have the sword or not?" Morgan sighed, her caramel coloured eyes flat and unfocused. She dragged her wandering gaze back to meet Tivan's, his shock of white hair making his dark eyes seem even more incongruous as he scrutinised her with an almost uncomfortable intensity. 

"Hm, perhaps you should rest here awhile? Your weariness sits plainly on your shoulders - Miss de Gorlois - such a personal loss is a - _heavy-_ burden to bear." 

"I've no desire to be part of your zoo," she snapped - bitter, defensive and unsure how he knew anything about her and in no mood to engage in conversation to find out. She certainly didn't want to talk about loss. She didn't even want to think about Loki.

"Zoo?" he visibly bridled. He was a large man at his full height and the witch grew more alert, not knowing how angry he might get but his offense did not seem to be escalating any further than a filthy look. "I do not keep a zoo, I preserve that which is - unique - and you ..." he breathed slowly as if trying to gain control of his emotions, "...you are the very last of your kind, it would be a - tragedy - to lose you."

An awkward silence settled between them as Morgan processed his last remark. A little of her jaded ennui lifted as she racked her brain for what little she knew about Taneleer Tivan. In all honesty she'd filed him away as a sort of glorified rag and bone man in space and she kicked herself for not having found out more.

 "And what am I exactly?" she ventured in a cautious tone, "other than another freak of nature that the universe spat out for no good reason?"

"You don't know your own - _origins_?"

"I know who my parents were, and theirs before them. I am human, albeit with a few enhancements, but everyone and his wife has those these days."

Tivan peered at her more closely. "It is true that there are many -beings - of unusual design yet you are - magnificent- so much _untapped_ potential..."

The witch flinched at those words, Loki had said something very similar and the memory was painful. So similar, in fact, that she wondered if Tivan had spoken to him. 

 "...but that is not what is - unique - about you," he continued before she could voice that question, "it is what is _inside_ you that matters."

"The dragon? I shapeshift that's all, it's pretty impressive I grant you but not unique."

"Is that where you think it comes from?"

Morgan's eyebrows creased together. "What do you mean?"

"You are the last of your kind. The very last in - all - the universe..." There was a hint of wistful regret in the repetition of his earlier statement, "...a little mutated perhaps but that has ensured your survival and you may yet..." he reached a hand out carefully and tilted her chin "...outlive us all, even me."

"What am I? " Morgan asked again in a hoarse whisper, sensing an eagerness in him to share his store of knowledge.

"The dragon is what you _are_ , not what you can do. It is the source of your power, without it you cannot exist and without you - _it_ can not exist." Tivan's hand fell back in to his lap and he breathed a soft sigh. "The skies were once full of _such_ creatures, long ago when the universe and - I - were young."

"Who are you, Tivan? How do you know these things?" 

"My own tale would take some - hours - in the telling. Come, let us find what it is - that-  you came for and I will answer all the questions you have - I ask only one thing in return."

"And what is that?"

He told her and after thinking for a few moments she agreed and followed him in to the bowels of his museum. 


	2. Chapter 2

"It has been a long day, if that is all, counsellor?" The being with the appearance of Odin brought his fingers up and lightly adjusted his eyepatch, an unconscious movement that had become somewhat of a habit lately. 

"Of course, my Lord." The smaller man with the salt and pepper hair bowed as was customary. "Will you be joining the hall for supper or should I send a maid servant with a tray to your room as per usual?"

"You know me too well, Bragi." Odin's blue eye twinkled and the unwitting Bragi thought it an indication that the old Odin - as he had been before Frigga's death- was perhaps not completely lost to them.

"I will take supper in my room as usual."

"The company of old friends might ... ease your burden a little?" Bragi ventured his hope dwindling even as the words left his lips. Odin had already turned away and Bragi could only stare at his retreating back, a hand lifted in a brief and silent farewell.

It had indeed been a long day. Loki was feeling the effects of having maintained the illusion for too long and he made sure that several enchantments locked the door of the king's chamber before he allowed his own pale skinned and raven haired visage to re-emerge. 

Slender fingers curled around each side of the stone wash basin that stood in the ante-chamber, he peered into the depths and studied his reflection. Dark shadows ringed his eyes and not for the first time he wondered if this were too heavy a price to pay for the throne?

 _To_ _have everything you had ever wanted with only the caveat that no one must ever know who you really are...?_

"And who are you really?" He mused out loud, his voice bitter, " Odinson? Laufeyson...?".

At the last name a white frost appeared on the surface of the water, it's jagged patterns disappearing as quickly as they had come as did the blue tinge to his skin. 

_...Friggason?_

But he would not say her name aloud. The pain was too great and the guilt had to remain buried with his other transgressions if he were to hold on to the last vestiges of his sanity. 

The sharp knock at the door jolted him from his melancholy and he drew a long breath through his nose, Odin's form reappearing once again as he waved away the magic that held the door shut.

"Enter. "

"My Lord," the guard greeted him with a bow and Loki/Odin struggled to hide his disappointment that it was not Elsa with his supper. He gestured with a hand. "Speak."

"I apologise for disturbing you at this late hour, my Lord, but Thor insisted we advise you immediately."

"Thor? Is he not on Midgard? Advise me of what, man, speak plainly?"

"Of the prisoner he sends you, my Lord. A woman."

"Why would this be of interest? Is she a shield maiden? Sif will not be pleased..."

"Not a shield maiden, certainly no maiden at all by the way she curses..."

Loki/Odin lifted his chin, his stare turning diamond hard. "Who then?" he asked perhaps a little too sharply.

"A witch."

"You disturb me to advise me of a common or garden magician? Put her in the cells where she can do no harm nor any magic." It was hard to keep his tone level.

_It had to be her. Whom else could it be? At last..._

"Not just any witch, sire," the guard swallowed, "a thing as fearsome as any seen in all the nine realms. Thor suggested that you should be the one to sentence her rather than the high counsellor...he thought it would need your experience."

 _Morgan._..

"Fearsome? How so?"

"She...it...a dragon my lord. She shapeshifts into a dragon," the guard had visibly paled as he spoke and Loki had to work hard to suppress a grin.

"Is she contained?"

"She is, sire. Though we cannot say for how long."

"Then I will review her case tonight and speak with her at first light. Have her brought to the world tree at dawn, secure her there and we will see what we will see...that is all."

Thankfully, the guard knew better than to question that dismissal and he left without further question. Once he had gone, Loki retrieved the tray Elsa had left outside the door - having obviously realised he was busy - then he sealed the chamber once again and let the illusion of Odin fade. He needed to gather his strength - to eat, to sleep - and then...

_We will see what we will see..._

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

”You fucking cocksucker, " the witch - a thing as fearsome as any seen in all the nine realms - lunged at the hapless guard, her teeth bared. Luckily for him she was bound securely at each wrist and two additional guards held the attached chains as if they had a wild animal on the end of them. "You fucking _Nazis_. Do you know what a Nazi is? Huh? Do you? You imperialist bastards. You think you own the fucking universe ..." She lunged again and this time the guard was too close, her teeth latched on to his earlobe and tore at the soft flesh. 

It erupted in to chaos, the first guard shrieking at the sudden pain as the other two threw their combined weight at her to wrestle her into position against the tree. Morgan fought with all the fury she could muster, emitting a vicious hiss as she felt the chains finally pull her hard against the huge trunk. The guards stepped back, unable to hide the look of relief that crossed their faces.

”Had enough, boys?" the witch grinned, her teeth covered in blood as she spat out a piece of ear.

 

"And if I sent _all_ my army to fight you, would it be enough?"

 

Every head, turned to acknowledge the speaker. Morgan took in the silver hair and the eye patch, aware instantly of who this must be. He appeared a lot older than she imagined from the way Loki had described him.

”Depends, how big is your army?" She was nothing if not recklessly insolent and heedless of rank.

An odd smile passed across Odin's face and he raised a hand. ”Leave us."

"My Lord, I..."

"Leave us," he repeated. ”I would speak with her alone." The command was implicit, emphasised in the last syllable and he did not move or speak again for several minutes until the forest was completely silent.  They stared at each other for a good long while - the witch and the one-eyed god. Morgan shifted uncomfortably against her bonds, straining against them as if to lean away from the gnarled bark of the great ash. 

”You feel it's power." The words, uttered quietly, were not a question and Morgan's eyes narrowed though she did not answer and he did not seem to care. "You are guilty of sedition, " he continued, " and this will be your place of judgment."

"Guilty? When was that decided?''

"Do you deny inciting a rebel uprising?"

"Well, no..." she shrugged and licked the drying blood from her lips. 

”You oppose Asgard? Do you stand against us?"

"I don't really care if I'm honest, it just seemed like fun." Yet she had often gravitated to the weaker side on the occasions she involved herself in war.

"And so you stand here, guilty as charged. Do you have nothing else to say?"

"Hardly seems like a fair trial," she drawled, "but let me guess, the penalty is death, right?" 

”That is to be determined but by all accounts, death is hardly a new or final experience for you."

"Have you been listening to gossip? You shouldn't believe all the rumours..."

"I have heard a great deal about you. Taneleer Tivan is fascinated by you."

"Is he now?" _That white haired snake, should have known he'd tattle like an old woman._

"My _son_ also had much to say about you."

He had not even needed to mention Loki by name yet the witch's stomach tightened in a knot. "As I understand it, your son is _dead_?" Despite the leaden weight in her guts, Morgan was careful to keep her expression blank and her voice even. If she could have chosen how confirmation of Loki's death would have reached her she would not have wanted to overhear it in a cell but there it was. Too late. 

”Do you mourn him?"

_It was true then..._

”Do you?" she countered. Odin also had a pretty good poker face, she noted. 

"Grief hangs over this world like a storm cloud. We lost many in the war against the Dark Elves."

It was hardly an answer though she thought she detected a crack in the old man's voice as he spoke - but she suddenly felt too tired and too broken to push it any further. In her heart, she had refused to grieve, to even acknowledge her own heartbreak in the hope that the rumours were just that -rumours and nothing more but it was all catching up to her in a rush now.

"How did he die?" She asked, her shoulders sagging almost imperceptibly as she allowed a flicker of pain to pass across her face.

"With honour."

 _Honour is for the birds_ she thought. _I've known too many good people who died with honour. Better that they had run and lived_ ... But she kept these thoughts to herself. Perhaps it had mattered to Loki that he found some kind of redemption in his death? 

”So, what am I to do with you, hmm?" Odin looked at her curiously. ”If death holds no sting for you then we must find some other use to put you to. Perhaps we could turn that fierceness to serve Asgard?"

”You want me to fight _for_ Asgard?" her head lifted slightly, "What makes you think I wouldn't just tear your city apart?"

”Because you came here not to destroy, but to find something -someone - your heart was missing. But he is gone and you are alone again." That one blue eye felt as if it pierced right through her. ”What else will you do, witch? Burn your way through the universe until there is nothing left or find something else to fill the void? Our army is depleted, our defenses weak. One such as yourself could offer protection to so many innocent lives."

Silence settled in the clearing once again as the witch struggled to comprehend what was being offered. This was not the uncompromising, ruthless king she had expected. Loki had painted him as severe and unyielding and she had expected eternal punishment involving ravens and some juicy part of her body. Yet... he had lost his wife, perhaps he had become as bone weary as she felt? She shifted, pulling away from the bark again, now visibly uncomfortable, but before she could offer any reply, the King of Asgard had begun to turn and walk away.

”You will have time to think on it. We will return for you tomorrow."

" _What_? You are _not_ leaving me tied to this fucking tree trunk? ”

"I explained that you had been brought here for judgment did I not? _I_ cannot see what is in your heart but Yggdrasil will show us the truth, then we will speak again."

”What do you think is going to happen?" She screamed after his retreating back, "I've been tortured, mutilated and burned at more stakes than you've had hot dinners! Twenty-four hours strapped to a big tree is a fucking _holiday_!"

But Odin kept walking and her obscenities finally died away, leaving only a low growl rumbling in her throat. She no longer pulled against her bonds, instead she let her body curve backwards, embracing and moulding to the gnarled trunk until that thrum of power that had been making her so uncomfortable grew and buzzed like a drill throughout her whole body. 

”Let's have it then.." she whispered, her chin tilted up to the heavens in defiance as everything exploded in to white. 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

The tears had left streaks on her face but her eyes were finally dry now and her lashes fluttered, heavy and tired, as the blush of dawn crept through the trees to light up the clearing. The morning sun brought the slightest of smiles to her lips and a little colour to her pale face and she tilted her chin up a fraction, the better to feel it's warmth. 

Yggdrasil stirred in her blood as if responding to her emotions. It had been doing that all night; not exactly feeding on her power but exploring her, invading her memories to expose every raw nerve and it had left her laid bare and exhausted. But she was past all that now; she had come through it to reach a place of peace and acceptance and she no longer fought against its presence.  It settled back to the soft thrum she had now grown used to.

Morgan rolled her shoulder to ease the discomfort but the raven that sat upon it did not move. It's brother was somewhere above in the branches of the tree, the pair her constant companions since they had arrived hours ago. The one on her shoulder was chattering happily to itself as it groomed her hair with its beak. She assumed it was grooming her anyway, she didn't really know what it was doing but whatever it was, it didn't seem hostile. It was rather a pleasant feeling, the large beak tapping gently on her head and it was lulling her towards sleep until she felt the bird stop and tense. 

Its ragged call was harsh against the silence of the clearing, heralding an arrival. At first she thought she saw the same tall, slender silhouette that had haunted her throughout the night but as she blinked and her vision cleared, the shape shimmered and morphed into that of The Allfather. 

She had assumed he would send a detachment of soldiers to fetch her - or at least bring them with him - but he was alone. 

"What was your purpose in coming to this realm?" This was not a conversational question. It was asked as if the whole universe were listening, waiting for the truth.

”I came looking for Loki."

"Why?"

"He saved me from Thanos. I owe him and..." her tongue ran across cracked lips but she had been forced to face the truth and now it refused to be pushed back in to the dark recesses of her soul from whence it had been dragged. ”...he mattered to me. He mattered a great deal."

But he was gone and she would be alone for eternity. Loss burned in her eyes but she had no more tears left.

”Do you wish to serve Asgard?" Odin asked after what seemed like an age. ”To pay the debt that you owe?"

"I do."

The Raven resumed its exploration of her scalp, its tension released at her answer. 

”Then your service is accepted," Odin gave her his kindest smile but Morgan had nothing to offer back. The old man stepped up to release her bonds and hold out a flask of water that she drank deeply from, even as her knees gave way and she slid to the base if the trunk.

”The ghosts of the past must be put to rest," the Allfather spoke as he watched her, his expression inscrutable,"not everyone is honoured with that opportunity."

"Lucky me."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short I know but I sweated blood over this. It feels right though and the next chapters will come more easily I hope. Feedback is always welcome x.


	5. Chapter 5

"Who taught you to use a sword?" The blonde Asgardian sounded glib but circled her warily, a glint in his eye and a louche smile on his face.

"A man named Bran. And after him, Llewellyn ap Gruffydd."

"They must have been very great warriors, you have some skill."

It was meant to rile her, not as a compliment, but Morgan's face remained impassive, she already knew she was good and his chatter was merely a tactic. She turned her body to follow his path around her, refusing to be drawn any further on her personal history.

"Is it true that you can't die? That's unusual for a human..."

Her eyes narrowed and her grip on Caliburn tightened. She had learned enough about Fandral over this last month to recognise his patterns. Judging by his tone and the way his muscles tensed he was about to come at her but he was no more likely to beat her this time than any other. 

A movement on the balcony above the training ground caught her eye. The raven that had taken to following her almost everywhere left its post and soared upwards to visit its master who would, she knew, watch her carefully for a good hour before disappearing again. Odin had not spoken a single word to her since the morning he had cut her down from the tree but he watched her at training every day.

Distracted by her own thoughts she felt rather than saw Fandral take his opportunity to attack. Morgan pirouetted, her instincts honed by aeons of persecution, whirling her great broadsword as if it were no more than a feather. It sliced through the Asgardian's lighter, more delicate weapon and despite his obvious prowess, Fandral was left sprawling in the dust with the point of Caliburn millimetres from his face and his own blade in pieces. 

"That's the third one this week," he observed and cocked a wry eyebrow.

Under different circumstances the witch would have found him an interesting diversion but her natural impudence and irreverence had deserted her lately.

"Well you will insist on bringing a knitting needle to a sword fight," she forced out the quip and spun the sword until it was point down in the sand, her arm resting on it like a staff. 

"How do you handle that thing, I can barely swing it with both hands?" He had lifted it once, finding that Caliburn weighed as much as anyone might expect a four and a half foot broadsword to weigh. He gave her an odd look as he spoke and Morgan knew he was trying to work out the physics - wondering how someone of her height could possibly wield a thing so cumbersome. 

"We have a special relationship. If you're done, I'm calling it for today." For some reason The Allfather's eye on her affected her deeply and she wanted out. Twirling Caliburn in one hand as effortlessly as if it were a baton she gave one quick glance up to the balcony and then turned and walked away. A dark shape glided after her, following her all the way back to her room.

The barracks were as comfortable as any boutique hotel, unusual for a garrisoned army in her experience but she wasn't complaining. One or two off duty guards eyed her as she strode past them, her glossy black stalker marching close behind.

"You could just fly around to the window," she sighed, her eyes rolling as she held her door to her room open enough for the bird to waddle through then closed it behind them both, shutting out the world. ”Which one are you anyway, hmm, Huginn or Muninn? Nobody seems to be able to tell but the other bird has...hey, those are mine! For fuck's sake doesn't Odin feed you?"

The bird paused with the grape in its mouth, cocking its head to eyeball her before swallowing the fruit whole and with every sign of insolence.

"Fine, I see you've given up any pretence of subtlety. Spy on me, eat my fruit, do whatever the fuck you like I'm having a shower."

Asgardian plumbing was a bit of a mystery, there didn't seem to be any pipes anywhere. Her shower was an alcove - apparently carved from the rock the barracks were built against - where water poured constantly from over a jutting lip of slate. It was powerful and refreshing but she needed to figure out how it worked some day she thought as she left a trail of clothes and boots across the room.

The temperature of the waterfall adjusted itself seemingly by the power of her thought alone which impressed her and got right on her goat at the same time.

How did it know? What else did it know about her?  As she stepped underneath it her thoughts turned to her home on earth, an image of the forbidding stone keep in which she lived vivid in her minds eye, and its ancient, rattling pipes that took an age to deliver hot water. She let out a small sigh as she recalled the island on which it stood and the deep, crisp waters of the loch that surrounded it. 

The Asgardian shower, she gradually became aware, had cooled to replicate the temperature of the loch. In an unreasonable burst of truculence, she forced an image of the hot spring river near Reykjavik into her mind and then, just as rapidly, brought up a dark memory of the freezing, lonely depths of the North Atlantic but the inexplicable shower matched each just as quickly. Realising she was trying to outthink a _facility_ shegave up with a scowl.

Her foot thumped in to something soft and wet as she turned to find the shampoo.

_Caw_

"Fuck me!”

_Caw_

"There's a fountain outside the building, go bathe out there!"

_Caw_

She pushed at the raven with her toes but it pecked her viciously in return and carried on shaking its wings under the water and preening itself.

”Fucking feathery bastard. Make yourself useful and go see who's knocking at the door .." she suggested, unsurprised when she was soundly ignored.

Becoming more irritated by the second, the witch grabbed a robe and headed through her chambers to answer the insistent rapping, pulling the garment tight around herself as she opened the door and glaring in silence at the uncomfortable looking messenger boy beyond.

"Milady, the Allfather requests your presence in the council chambers."

"What for and when?"

"Immediately, Milady. I was given no other message. ” 

The boy received an even harder stare, relief spreading across his face when the door slammed in his face and nothing worse appeared to be about to happen to him. 

 

 

 

They made an odd trio - the messenger boy, the leather clad witch and the raven - as they made their way through the palace. The boy kept up an endless stream of verbal encouragement and beckoning gestures that were beginning to get on Morgan's already twanging nerves.

”This way, Milady. Come this way. And down here. This way, follow me..."

”What's your name, boy?" Morgan noted how he kept glancing nervously behind him to ensure she was still following - his expression one of fear that she might decide not to at any moment and apprehension as to what the hell he'd do about that if that actually happened. 

”Ulfric, Milady." He peered over his shoulder at her, eyes wide.

”Well, Ulfric, I'd advise you to pay more attention to the path ahead of you or you going to..." the witch gestured vaguely.

There was an extensive sound of noisy and metallic crashing which finished with the inevitable, single pot lid, rolling sadly until it finally came to rest. 

"...or you're going to fall over that food trolley. Up you get, lad." She hauled him out of the mess by his collar and set him back on his feet with an expression that was not entirely unkind. The raven side-eyed her but she ignored it.

”Never mind, " she shrugged at Ulfric's stricken face, " it's only pots and pans...and some sort of porridge...why don't you go and have a wash before anyone finds out, I know where the council chamber is from here."

"Milady, I should..."

"I promise to deliver myself to the appointed place, Scout's honour. Dib dib dib." 

”Scout..? I beg your pardon...?" He stared uncomprehending at her raised fingers.

"Never mind, run along quickly, I hear the porter coming back. Uh, nope. No buts - go go go..'' She shooed him away and he finally scampered off, leaving her alone except for her feathered companion.

_Caw_

"Shut up."

She knew exactly where she was going, there were many copies of the building plans in the garrison library but she took the opportunity to study the interior as she sauntered through the corridors. Gold was a prevalent theme, the columns and furniture featuring it in the highly decorative designs she knew as Scandinavian but which must have originated from the Asgardian influence. All this was mixed with a stark, almost Brutalist architecture in some of the side corridors that led to the less public and higher security areas of the palace. 

The door to the council chambers carried intricate carvings that reflected the designs on the columns and she studied them in some detail, noting the central image of Yggdrasil that dominated. Her fingertips traced lightly over its raised pattern, the ancient wood tingling under her touch and occupying her attention until she heard a soft voice speak to her from within.

"Enter, witch."

The hinges were well oiled and the door swung open with barely a whisper, closing behind her with a gentle click. Odin was standing with his back to her, his hands clasped behind his back as he stared out of the window and over the city below. She did not bow or kneel and he did not seem to expect her to. 

"Where is my messenger?"

”Avoiding the wrath of your porter. The boy is a little clumsy."

"And what interested you so about the carvings on my door?"

Morgan darted a suspicious look at the raven that had waddled in behind her and perched itself on the back of a large chair looking smug.

"The carvings are fascinating but the wood has more to say."

"The wood?"

"Most buildings will speak if you listen."

"You have a curious ability." .

"Magic is so much more than conjuror's tricks."

"Indeed it is." He glanced over at her, the blue of his eye seemed to shimmer curiously and the first sparks of suspicion ignited inside her. ”What did it speak to you of?" he asked.

”Of kings and queens and..."

"Yes?"

"Secrets..." The images that she had been shown seemed to swirl in her mind and settle in to place like pieces of a jigsaw but the picture still wasn't quite clear.

"Go on."

"Death..." her caramel eyes grew dark as her pupils expanded and the stiffness of her manner gave way to her instinctive, innate magic.  She moved up to the old man with an urgent, unselfconscious curiosity and a need to know the full truth that was slowly revealing itself. Her hand reached out and turned his face towards hers.

"Do you see as well as you listen, witch?" He stared back, her eyes were completely black and colour flushed her pale cheeks.

”...Loki...?"

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

"Loki!?" her shaking fingers pointed in accusation and her lips stretched into a snarl. ”You..." she spluttered but couldn't finish; her volcano of emotions erupted in to a full body slam, sending Loki - now in his own form **-** flying backwards across the polished stone floor with the witch at his throat.

I thought you were dead!" she shouted, raining blows on any part of him she could reach "You _bastard_ son of a bitch!"

"I assure you..." he rasped as she knelt on his ribs and he tried to dodge her flailing fists. 

"You'll assure me nothing...you left me tied to that fucking tree!! What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Ah, well...oof. Damn, you've still got a good right hook."

"I'm going to kill you."

"I knew you'd be pleased to see me." In an effort to put a stop to the vicious pummelling he was getting he managed to pin one wrist and push her off to one side.

"I'm not joking, I'm _going_ to _kill_ you..."

"Because you're so relieved that I'm not dead?" 

"Yes. _No_! Because you're a lying cock womble and you let me grieve, you let me _grieve_ ... you let me..."

"Are you crying?" He had the other wrist now, pulling them both into a kneeling position where he could wrap her arms around her front like a strait jacket and hold her still.

" _Fuck_ you."

”Ssshhh." Her struggling was getting weaker and he held her tighter, drawing her back against his chest. ”Hush now."

"Fuck you fuck you fuck you."

"Hush."

 

 He'd forgotten how warm she was, how well she fitted into his embrace and he closed his eyes against the memories that it stirred but he kept holding her nonetheless. Eventually her breathing grew less ragged and most of the tension left her muscles though the pair remained locked together as the minutes passed, unable or unwilling to move.

The faint sounds of the city drifted in through the window as the world went about its business far below and after what seemed like an age, Morgan finally found her voice

 "What if someone comes in?"

"No one will come in, the door is sealed."

"With magic? Can I get out?'

"Anytime you wish."

"Where is Odin?"

"That I cannot say.'

"You killed him?"

"The Allfather? No, that would take a great deal of power and cunning."

"Then how did you ... become him?"

"He wished to unencumber himself from the burden of the throne for a while. Frigga's death...affected him greatly and he felt the need to seek solace elsewhere. Thus, we came to this agreement."

"This was his idea?'

"It was. I was to offer the throne to Thor and if he did not take it then..." Loki shrugged. ”The only condition was that I appear as Odin - Asgard would not have accepted Loki  as King and in such turbulent times, the people required a degree of consistency."

"You died. They said that you died on Svartalfheim? ”

"Death is not always final, you know that better than anyone."

"How, Loki? How did you come back?" She insisted.

"That's a story for another time. Not now."

”Who else knows, about Odin I mean?"    

 ”No one."

"Just me?"

"Just you." 

”You tied me to the bastard tree!"

"For appearances sake. You had to be seen to be punished and I doubt that you would have preferred to rot in an Asgardian jail for the rest of your life?”

”Why not just tell me sooner?"

"I have my reasons."

"Will you tell me those another time too?"

"Perhaps."

"Why tell me at all? What do you want from me?"

"I told you the truth in that respect. Asgard's defences are weak and you are...formidable. We must take advantage of every opportunity to protect the realm."

"You speak like a king."

"I _am_ a King."

"Everything you ever wanted."

"Morgan..."

"What did Thanos do to you?"

"Not now..."

"I'm not a child to be patronised..."

"Far from it but I am not yet ready to speak of such things. Forgive me."

'She turned her head at that, the tip of her nose brushed his cheek and long buried emotions stirred in the dust of their tombs. 

”Come." He raised her to her feet before she could reply. ”My presence is required elsewhere but we will meet again, later this evening. I have questions to ask you also." He moved from behind her, wearing Odin's face once again as he released the seals on the door with a subtle movement of his fingers. 

”Perhaps I should wear armour...?" he quipped lightly, rubbing at the place on his jaw where her punch had landed and then he turned and strode away down the corridor. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    


	7. Chapter 7

Morgan watched the departure of the ruler of Asgard in confused silence, a maelstrom of feelings fighting for dominance though, currently, anger seemed to be winning out. Anger at what she wasn't exactly sure - the universe, possibly.

She needed space. And time to think.

In the absence of any organised leadership from her brain her feet took control, carrying her through the palace and out into the city beyond.  The hushed formality of the palace quarter gave way to bustling street markets until the awnings and street vendors were replaced by domestic dwellings and leafy avenues. Eventually it all merged in to the encroaching countryside; the paths became tracks and the tracks wound through wavering corn and grazing cattle until a cool, green forest rose up either side. Morgan walked, her long easy stride covering the ground without breaking rhythm though her mind was in such turmoil that she barely saw the changing scenery at all.  It was only when the forest opened out in to a sunlight dappled clearing that the witch's gaze properly focused outwards again and she realised that her wandering had not been totally directionless. 

"Hah," she breathed, her lips pressing together as she came to a halt and eyed the great ash at the centre of the grassy space. "Did you bring me here on purpose?" She wondered aloud but an answer was not expected and none was forthcoming. 

The tree was a source of both curiosity and caution to her. It was sentient and when she'd hung in its branches, she'd felt its vast, ancient consciousness invading all the secrets of her heart and laying them bare. It had given her no choice but to allow that she was still capable of love - something she'd long since thought had withered and died and how she'd wished it _had_ when she'd learned of Loki's death and the yawning cavern of her grief had proved almost too much to bear.   

With hindsight, perhaps she should have known better than to believe he was really dead? He had survived Thanos after all - rumour had brought that much to her ears as she'd wandered in the backwaters of space. That knowledge was exactly the reason she had ended up in the vicinity of Asgard in the first place so, when she'd found out from Fandral what had happened to Loki on Svartalfheim, it shouldn't have been a stretch to imagine that he might have actually also survived that simple stab in the chest.  But somehow she had convinced herself that he was gone...that she had lost him as she had lost everyone else.

 But she hadn't.

_Caw_

...and then, of course, there was her ever present companion.

"Still with me, huh?" The bird's rasping call brought her mind back from its ramblings.  There was no doubt that the raven was a spy but Morgan wasn't sure who for - Loki or the mysteriously absent real Odin perhaps? Whatever the truth, she was becoming accustomed to - and a little grateful for - its company. "I suppose you've known about Loki all along...?" she wondered out loud, shooting it a wry look as she spoke. It ruffled its feathers and flew up into the branches of Yggdrasil where it peered down at her.

 "Giving me your best hooded look?” She shook her head but a faint smile played on her lips. 

" _Careful now, I'm not at all sure what the consequences might be if you become best friends with Huginn_."

Her eyelids fluttered shut at the sound of Loki's voice only opening again after she'd let out a long breath. "What are you doing here? I thought you had kingly business to attend to?" It was an amiable question, gentler than her usual tone and she wondered briefly if she was going soft.

"I did, four hours ago..."

_Four hours?_

"It is quite a walk to get out here," he continued as if he had read her mind, "though there are other routes, known only to a few....are you not pleased to see me?"

"I'm not sure I can take any more of your continual surprises, I am a very old woman after all..." She half smiled, slipping easily in to the familiarity of their verbal sallies though even those seemed to have had their sharp edges smoothed. Her eyes flicked up to the World Tree in mild suspicion.

"Oh I think you are more than resilient enough to cope with anything I may throw at you."

"Is that why you chose to share your secret with me?"

"Possibly. What brought you out here to this clearing?"

_Still deflecting?_

"I didn't come here deliberately or at least ... I didn't think I did..."  She murmured and raised a hand, fingers reaching tentatively out towards the gnarled trunk. 

"Yggdrasil's roots are deep and far reaching." Loki moved to her side as he spoke, his velvet voice verging on a seductive whisper though she was unable to tear her focus from the tree. 

"But perhaps...another time?" He took her hand before it made contact with the bark and brought it down to lay gently across her stomach, leaving it there with a light pat. "Though I'd be fascinated to hear a full account of your previous engagement with it?"

_Well that was odd, why doesn't he want me to touch it?_

She finally turned to look at him properly for the first time in nearly seven years, noting that he was wearing his own face rather than Odin's. "You tied me to the bloody thing, don't you know what it does?" A deflection of her own though it held no rancour. 

He was broader across the chest than he had been and his shoulders seemed even more angular if that were possible.  His hair was longer than when he had killed her. It curled over his shoulders now and framed a face that still looked young on first glance but a closer inspection revealed the subtle lines and the legacy of the torments that had been etched across it.

He had been ...damaged...when they'd first met - as had she, to be fair - but there had been something in his heart that had reached out to her then. She realised now - hindsight was a smug bastard -  that he had wanted more than she'd been able to give or to accept at the time and now here they were, that situation reversed.  

"You haven't changed at all," he smiled. While she had been appraising him he had doing the same and she could see those green eyes widen in curiosity as they scrutinised her in turn. 

"Its the nature of my immortality. I don't scar, I don't age and I don't stay dead. "

_On the outside at least..._

"And you can become a dragon and breathe fire, it's a heady mix."

"Loki, what are you playing at, one minute you're distant then the next you're flirting with me..?"

”What do you mean?"

"Oh stop it!"

”Stop what?"

”That face for a start."

"My face...?"

"That smug git expression is getting on every single one of my nerves! Why, after all this time, did you decide to confess that you were masquerading as Odin?" she snapped, he was brushing her off and it made her angry at him and angry at herself. 

There was a long, pregnant silence as she watched the muscles twitching in his jaw, fully expecting him to turn and leave.

"I committed the wholesale slaughter of an entire race," he said finally - carefully,  "I killed a great many people on your home world and to all intents and purposes at least, it would appear to everyone else that I have also killed my father and assumed his identity and yet.. yet you're the only one I thought would not judge me."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep tweaking this chapter. Not at all happy with it


	8. Chapter 8

"Because I have the morals of a sewer rat?"

"Because you have the morals of a sewer rat," he agreed without missing a beat, the beginnings of his trademark smirk playing across his lips.

They eyeballed each other in the silence that followed, his reluctant truth rewarded with her uncomplicated candor while both of them delicately avoided the layers of vulnerability that drifted beneath.

There were still so many questions left unanswered and Morgan let out a sigh disguised as a long breath, breaking the tension in the air. It was apparent that he'd given her about as much as she was going to get for now, the pulsing muscle in his jaw told her that much. She still wasn't sure what he really wanted from her - or how he was really feeling - but it was quite possible that he wasn't sure either. 

She shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her jacket and gave him an amiable arch of her eyebrow. "Well, now that I've sucked you dry of all the honesty you're capable of, perhaps we should call it quits? You'd best get back to kinging - they'll be wondering where you are." She had already turned away to walk back in the direction of the city so she missed the sharp lift of his chin and the way his eyes narrowed dangerously. 

 "Where will you go?" he called after her, "what waits beyond Asgard for you? Your exit would not be without political conflict of course, " he continued in that clipped and precise way he had of enunciating every word when he was angry, "but I am not foolish enough to believe that we could hold you against your will if you truly wished to leave and there is nothing to keep you here."

Morgan stopped and pivoted on one heel to stare at him, at first thinking he meant to send her away before she realised that he had simply misinterpreted what she had said. He had thought she had dismissed him and was planning to leave - not just the immediate vicinity but the realm of Asgard itself. Her mouth opened but any attempt at rectifying his mistake died on her lips, buried by her shock at the change in his expression. His jaw had jutted forward and that twitching muscle worked overtime, his eyes glittering like shards of shattered emerald through narrowed lids. Perhaps he _was_ unconscious of the way he felt about her but for the witch, his distress that she might abandon him was suddenly and plainly writ large in every line on his face.

That revelation both broke her heart and sent it soaring it at one and the same time. 

"That's where you're wrong...." This time there would be no comedy of errors or tragic misunderstandings. She no longer had the energy to maintain that protective distance because she no longer desired or wanted to be distant. Yggdrasil had unlocked her long-lost humanity and there was no chaining it up again. 

Morgan stepped close to him, ignoring his defensive body language as she tilted her face up to challenge his icy stare. Despite his crossed arms she noted that he did not move away.

"...I am not leaving Asgard - not yet - and of course there is something to keep me here and that's you. You _muppet_." Smiling at the bafflement that ousted his fear and anger she pressed a kiss to his cheek, hot and brief against his cool skin. "Someone needs to watch over you."

The witch turned once more and walked away without another word.

It was Loki's turn to be left behind, searching desperately for composure and the answer to the one piece of knowledge that eluded him, though she was long gone before he was able to articulate the question. Barely more than a whisper, eventually it fell softly from his lips and faded away in the quietness of the clearing. 

" _What_ is a muppet?" 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short chapter but damn, it took me AGES to write! 
> 
> The next one is going to come much quicker I think.


	9. Chapter 9

 "Your mood seems somewhat lighter of late," Fandral dodged the great sword and felt the cold rush of air as it whistled past his face. He weaved through the boulders and broken crags of the promontory, sure footed as a mountain goat as he vied for the advantage against his smaller opponent.

Bored with the flat sand of the training ground the witch and the warrior had traveled further afield, looking for terrain that would challenge their skills and make their regular sparring a deal more interesting.

"I'd go so far as to say almost jovial, it must be all those meetings with the Allfather. What do you two talk about? He's never normally so sociable, it's almost as if he likes you." The blonde warrior pointed his own sword at the witch accusingly just before he caught her a hard slap across the buttocks with the flat of the blade and danced out of the way. A broad grin stretched across his face. 

"You'll pay for that, Asgardian," Morgan growled though whether it was the quip or the spank that he would pay for, she did not specify. Caliburn hefted easily in one hand as she prowled the periphery of Fandral's reach. "It was only _one_ meeting, as well you know, though judging by your obsession with how I spend my time, I'd say you must be jealous," she countered.

"Jealous? I'm afraid Odin just isn't my type, I prefer my one-eyed, bearded kings a little younger." He paused and gave her a look of pure devilment. "I looked you up you know.."

"You looked me up? Where?"

"In a book about Midgard in the palace library."

" _You_ were in the library?" she scoffed but he ignored her. 

"Morgan le Fay, " he sounded almost triumphant.

"That's not my name."

”It described you as a faerie."

"Then your scholars need a good kick up the arse."

"Do you have gossamer wings, may I see them?"

"Oh do fuck off."

"And is it really true about you and your half-brother?"

"Right, that's _it_..."

............................................

 

 An idle finger scratched at the empty socket beneath the eye patch and Loki shifted in his chair, the one good eye turning towards the arched window as Bragi droned on about trade negotiations. In his time as king - as Odin - he'd found a talent for the intrigue of political strategy and he usually enjoyed the deliberations and machinations of The Great Council but today he was restless, his thoughts scattered and wandering. 

In fact, the witch had been occupying his mind since she'd arrived on Asgard. She had been every bit her irreverent and irascible self until he'd tied her to the tree - that night had changed her, softened those jagged edges somehow. Yggdrasil had nurtured the warmth beneath that immortal, untouchable shell - a vibrant, passionate warmth that would no longer be contained. Loki felt himself pulled towards its welcoming arms whilst the cold and bitter darkness that festered within him held him back. 

"Hmm?" Something odd about the way Bragi was now looking at him pulled Loki's focus back to the room and he turned his head to scan the faces of the other delegates, trying to work out what he'd missed.  The Councillor's mouth had frozen mid question and he gripped the back of a chair with one hand as everyone exchanged confused glances. 

It took Loki a second or two to catch up but then he felt it too - the floor was trembling - no - the whole palace was trembling! It shuddered with an ominous groaning noise as if the whole building might come crashing down any minute and the noise and vibrations were escalating. The faux king rose from his seat in one smooth, urgent movement and strode to the balcony beyond the arch, his one good eye opening wide as he took in the pandemonium in the city far below.

Screams and shouts of panic floated upwards to the council chamber balcony; the people of the Golden City scurrying like ants for safety and grabbing whatever - whoever - was important to them as they fled. Tidal waves of water barrelled through the streets, destroying everything in its path and the sea beyond boiled and churned in agony.

It seemed as if Asgard itself was breaking apart.

...........................................

 

Fandral was rapidly running out of ground. Morgan had him retreating under her onslaught and the headland narrowed dangerously to a rocky point behind him. Perhaps a kinder sparring partner might have eased up a little - but she was not kind and the smug little cock of his head told her the Asgardian was not done yet so she drove forward, tensed and ready for whatever his retaliation might be. But it did not come. Instead Morgan was deafened by a violent cracking sound as the world convulsed beneath her feet, the end of the headland broke away and her blonde opponent dropped out of sight with the crumbling rocks.

Instinct took control and launched her into a reckless, headlong dive along the rough and quaking ground, her arm stretching forward and down even as her feet scrabbled amongst the rubble to find somewhere to brace. She felt her fingers close around cloth and her nails dig into skin; a warm, strong hand clasped her upper arm and that was the signal to pull. Sharp and jagged rocks sliced into flesh but she heaved with every ounce of her considerable strength until the top half of Fandral's torso was back on solid ground and she could safely let go to reach for his trouser belt and drag the rest of him up. 

An unspoken consensus passed between them and they both scrambled to their feet, Morgan retrieving Caliburn from where it had fallen as she rose, and the pair bolted for safety, another section of cliff falling away in the wake of of their flight. 

"I owe you my life..." Fandral breathed hard when they reached solid ground, turning as she did to look across the bay to the Golden City on the other side.

"How often do you have earthquakes?" Morgan shrugged his gratitude off, her eyes focusing on a disturbance in the ocean beyond the city and the vast rainbow bridge. 

"Earthquakes? Never..." Fandral followed her gaze. "It is unheard of .... what in the Nine Realms is that?" His jaw slackened. 

Out in the fathomless waters something was rising. Something vast and horned and burning like a thousand suns against the azure blue sky despite the water that poured from its body. 

"I've no idea, but I think I'm going to pick a fight with it anyway. Look after my sword." 

Fandral felt the hilt of the broadsword pressed into his hand and he glanced down, surprised at how light it felt now compared to the one time he had held it before. His eyes flicked back up in time to see the remaining shreds of Morgan's clothes flutter to the grass and her body contort and morph into a great black dragon. 

The beast spread its vast, leathery wings and launched from the cliff soaring across the water towards the city like a gleaming missile.

"Right," Fandral hefted Caliburn once again, noting the faultless balance of sword and hilt. "You do that dragon thing, " he addressed the rapidly disappearing bulk of Morgan though she was long past hearing him "and I will ride back. If I can find my horse. "

 


	10. Chapter 10

What else was there to do but meet the thing head on? 

There was no other way to protect his city, his people, than to draw the beast out to sea or reason with it - and reasoning with it had failed at the first hurdle.

 

 ** _"I am Odin  Allfather - you were banished Surtr, imprisoned in the underworld. How have you been set free_**?" Loki used magic to project his voice and it boomed out across the now almost deserted streets that were flooded with sea water.

The small standing army they had left had taken to the fleet of sleek warships but they could not get near the creature for the heat it emitted - their hulls buckling in protest and their weapons fired from a distance seemed to have no effect. 

No response was forthcoming, just a feral roar and a renewing of purpose as the beast homed in on him. It clearly had a beef with Odin - _who didn't?_ \- and might possibly have been driven mad by its time in incarceration.

Loki felt a pang of empathy for its suffering and the violent lurch of dark memories of his own that he did not want dredged up. He wondered momentarily if he could save it  but as it grew nearer shore and the foundations of the city rattled in violent protestation he knew he had only one option left.

 

If death had come to claim him then he might at least take this enemy with him to Hel.

_And at least it will be my own name that is written in the history books..._

 

He couldn't suppress that small vanity - not least because he simply couldn't tackle the fire giant _and_ maintain the illusion of Odin. He had used up too much of his core on simply being someone else. It was a good illusion, convincing and solid but that kind of magic did not come without a price. 

_**"Will you withdraw, Surtr? Will you discuss terms?"** _

It was futile and he knew it but he had to give it that one last chance.

He was soundly ignored.

 

 Mustering every last ounce of power left in him Loki, The Dark Prince of Asgard, let the illusion drop and revealed himself to the shock of his council and the remaining citizens of the Golden City as he stepped from the balcony, his height and stature expanding rapidly to match that of the burning demon advancing towards them. He levelled the God Spear, Gungnir, and fired blast after blast at the beast's chest, driving it backwards even as Loki gained ground, taking advantage of this initial edge of surprise. If he could knock it off its feet perhaps he could kill it before it realised he had nothing else on his side but the king spear and a lot of pent up rage?

They waded deeper, back the way it had come, fathoms of vast ocean only reaching thigh deep as the titans fought. Loki was already flagging, his magic weak but he danced just out of reach of the creature, drawing it further still  out in to the sea, hoping for a momentary weakness that would let him drive the spear in to its heart. He was almost done - his strength failed at every turn, his moves were cumbersome and slow. All he was doing was occupying its attention but even that could not last forever. Loki blinked, exhaustion fogging his mind and his momentary lapse gave Surtr his opening.  Gungnir was slammed from his grasp, disappearing beneath the waves and a burning fist gripped his throat. 

 A furnace engulfed him and he almost blacked out but the inherent protection of his power held for now. Coughing, fighting for breath, his vision started to clear and focused improbably on a black shape hurtling towards them out of the bright blue sky.

 _Do those_ _damn soldiers never learn?_

Loki raised a hand to turn it back but he caught the burst of yellow flame from its mouth and elation surged through him as he realised his mistake.

Morgan was barely more than cat sized against the two giants and Surtr had not even noticed her. Loki, on the other hand, had no doubt she could wreak a catastrophic amount of damage and he centered hinself, concentrating the core of his power in readiness.

Sinew and muscle rippled and flexed; the dragon thrust its rear talons forward like an eagle coming for its prey. 

Immune to the impossible heat she tore into its face with teeth and claw, the momentum and power of her flight intensifying the destruction. Shreds of burning skin were ripped away and Loki paused, feeling a fleeting stab of pity once again as the dragon latched on to Surtr's head and it shrieked in pain and fury.

The god shook off his lapse in to sentiment quickly and took the chance that Morgan's assault had offered him. He gathered his remaining strength and thrust his arm forward, all the power he had left propelling the punch through splintering bone deep into the fire giant's chest cavity to pluck out its heart.

Its dying scream was possibly the most shocking thing Loki had ever heard - it blasted through the dam that held back all the horrors of his own past and it resonated endlessly in his skull as both he and his fearsome fire drake were caught in Surtr's death grip and hauled beneath the waves down to the void far below.

....................

 

Oddly, it was the complete absence of sound that woke her up, as unnatural as it was unsettling it was the first thing that permeated her consciousness. She didn't move for a while, she just lay face down and let her senses gradually fill her in. 

The beach beneath her was bone dry meaning it was unlikely the tide coming in would represent any danger but the sea was close - she could hear it washing in a gentle rythmn against the shore and taste salt water on her lips where her wet hair touched them. There was no stink of seaweed or tar though, no creak of wooden hulls and no sea creatures stirring the water so she wasn't in the city harbour. Clearly, she'd washed up somewhere else - somewhere very isolated. 

Sand moved beneath her curling, tentative fingers; fine textured and loose it gave way easily, forming a mould around the whole of her body, supporting her hips and cradling her breasts in its hollows. She nestled her cheek into it little more, it felt comforting - soothing - like a warm bath and she was reluctant to move but she remembered the fight now and she needed to find Loki.  

Morgan pushed herself reluctantly to her knees, grains of sand cascading from her bare skin and her long wet hair plastered to her face as she sat back on her heels and took stock.

The sea was grey and calm and she was kneeling on a long, plain beach of bone white sand edged by an odd-looking forest. A lean figure lay similarly prone, as she had been, a hundred yards away. The masses of pitch black hair identified it as Loki.

He was very still but the possibility that he might be dead never crossed her mind and as she grew closer, the slight rise of his ribs confirmed his status amongst the living.

Morgan reached a hand out and pulled him by his shoulder, rolling him over on to his back. "Hey, Scrapper, are you....oh. Wow. That's new."

His skin was blue - a dark, indigo pigmentation that appeared to be wholly natural. 

 

 

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

The dark rushed away like a receding tunnel as Loki's consciousness fought its way back to the light. For a long moment he lay trapped in his own body, unable to move or cry out and panic set his heart thumping but, mercifully, the paralysis was gone as quickly as it had come and his pulse settled back into something more normal. He took a minute - breathing deeply - then his eyes flickered open, blinking in discomfort at the brightness until he focused on the witch kneeling beside him, her hands laid casually in her lap and her head cocked in curiosity. She was staring intently at his face and she was as naked as the day she had been born. 

She was often naked, he remembered that from past encounters. Clothes were an option for her but not one that she always chose although, in this case, he assumed they had just been lost in the transformation to her dragon self but that recollection led him in a direction he wasn't ready for yet.

His mind was a mess, his thoughts scattered, and the fire giant's final, lonely and terrible scream still echoed in Loki's skull, dredging up those noxious, stinking parts of his psyche that he had tried so hard to leave behind. 

That he also lacked any strength to raise his body up and distract himself from those disturbing memories by doing something practical, meant that he was left with staring at a naked woman as his only other option so he threw himself into it with gusto.

As it happened, the beauty and sand-dusted nakedness of the witch beside him was certainly worth taking the time to admire. Her tawny hair, darkened by the seawater, clung in serpentine tendrils around her neck and shoulders. Her body was shapely, toned and muscular. She looked vigorous and strong and he remembered how much he had enjoyed her vitality and the uncomplicated pleasure she took in physical activity. 

Much to his surprise, that last recollection caused his cock to twitch and swell a little. It seemed an odd moment for his libido to come back after having been missing for so long but he chose not to question it, instead he moved his gaze to the pleasing curve of her breasts and noted with some interest how they peaked to hard, honey coloured nipples. He continued on, travelling the contours of her waist and ample hips and buttocks before lingering at the apex of her thighs and the dark triangle of velvet that was so neat and short he wondered if it was natural or trimmed but he had never asked.  

Fucking her had been a glorious adventure of consenting violence and swerving power struggles. He remembered falling in love with her but she had been too brittle to reciprocate those feelings then. He realised that he very much wanted to fuck her again but he had no idea if he could love her now.

How ironic, given her new found openness of heart. 

 

"Loki, are you staring at my pussy?"

”Yes, " he sighed, drawing his wandering thoughts together. Loki raised his eyes to meet hers, "Why are you staring so hard at my face? Is it damaged?"

"It's blue," she stated bluntly.

Ah - so that was the cause of her fascination although she didn't seem bothered, just interested. It also dawned on him that the self-loathing and anger that his true heritage had once stirred in him no longer seemed to do so. It had been superceded by so many other reasons to hate himself.

"Why are you blue?"

He told her and she listened without comment until the end.

"So...is your other face an illusion?" 

"No, it is also my face but this is the one I bore first so it defaults back to Jotunn on occasion. Do you prefer the other?"

"I'm used to it," she shrugged, "but if the wind changes and you stay like this that's fine too." 

"Why should the wind have anything to do with it?"

"Its just a saying, never mind. Where are we?"

Loki pushed himself up on an elbow with some effort and examined the landscape. The sea was flat and calm and extended to the horizon and beyond. The beach was narrow but the sand white and fine, and the sky...they were lit up by a grey light but there was no sun - or moon - or clouds. The world was milky and silent, as if they had been trapped inside a pearl but Loki recognised it.  He looked behind him knowing exactly what he would see - a gnarled forest of what appeared to be twisted trunks and branches that extended as far as the eye could see in each direction.

"Do you not recognise it?" He turned back to Morgan.

"No, should I?"

"It is Yggdrasil - or rather, it's roots. I told you that they are deep and far reaching. We are in the underworld, in the places between the realms. " He watched for her reaction.

"Places...not just one place?"

"They shift and converge, it's a temporal thing."

"How do we get back?"

"To where, Asgard?"

"I...I don't know. Do you want to go back to Asgard? _Can_ you go back...?"

It was a good question. No one could have failed to notice his true face, revealed a thousand feet high to everyone in the city. What would be waiting for him if he did go back? A hero's welcome or another prison sentence? The notion of being incarcerated in Asgard's dungeons once again sent his fingers to his throat, stroking the skin beneath his tunic in a gesture of self-comfort.

He was clothed then?

Loki realised that he was clad in a light, soft undershirt, a longer and looser over-shirt and his usual leather leggings and boots. The armour he'd worn to battle had vanished - his magic could be very literal at times.

”Would you like a shirt?" He plucked at the front of his clothing in explanation, noting that she was still watching him closely. Somehow he didn't think it was still because of the blue.

"I'm not cold."

No, she rarely felt the cold. He couldn't help but drop his gaze to her stiffened nipples again.

"So does anything live here? Anything that we should be cautious of?" He detected a note of wry amusement in her tone as she followed his gaze.

"Not to my knowledge," he answered, "we are probably in more danger of starving to death as I have no idea if fresh water or food of any kind exists here." 

"That's comforting. Have you been here before?"

"Once or twice, only briefly."

"I'm not going to ask why..."

"Nothing sinister. Sometimes I pass through on my way elsewhere."

"So you know the way out?”

"This area is unfamiliar but I am sure I could find it, yes."

"Are you okay, Loki?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well..a lot happened in a very short time. I imagine it's upset the apple cart a bit and..."

"and what?'

"You're shaking."

He had no idea when she'd slipped her hand into his but she was holding it now and it felt so warm and secure, as if she had no intention of letting go any time soon. 

"No," he murmured, laying his head in her lap, "no I don't think I am."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Loki confesses his sins and Morgan asks the difficult questions.  
> This was so hard to write...thank you potato friend for your input.

A thousand years, as many heartaches and all the screaming shadows in his soul tore through him in a single minute - probably the most truthful minute of his life. 

Loki pressed his face into the smooth flesh of Morgan's thigh and gave in to the horrors - just for a few moments. He was grateful for her silence, for the arms that wrapped around him and for the fingers that gripped at his shoulder and tangled in his hair. She anchored him against the raging storm but she couldn't harbour him forever and if he let it go on too long, he feared he might sink into the depths of the madness that surged at the edges of his psyche. So he broke the spell, setting his jaw as he pushed himself away from the comfort of her arms and stood up. Loki fixed his trademark smirk into place and straightened his clothing as if nothing had transpired between them at all.

"We should probably think about moving on." He couldn't help the defensive thrust of his jaw as he risked meeting her eyes, expecting to see the hurt and disappointment that he was so often the cause of. This time though, he saw none. She just sat cross legged in the sand and looked up at him with an expression he wasn't sure he recognised but, at an educated guess, he thought was probably compassion.

"What did Thanos do to you?" She murmured the words as if she didn't anticipate an answer but the question still rendered him mute and that was the moment that he turned his back on her.

He planned to walk away. To keep his silence. To protect her from the truth of him.

To protect himself.

”Loki...?"

He closed his eyes. 

_Why cant you be hurt or angry? Curse me, give me a reason to leave, Morgan, please..._

"Loki. No more lies."

 

 

His shoulders sagged. No more lies then.

No more illusions.

Not to her.

 

"Its not what he did to _me_. It's what he made me do...what I _let_ him make me do."

It was strange how easily the confession came, after all this time. 

He waited out her silence knowing that would not be the end of it. Of all people she would be the one to lay him bare.

 

" _What_ did you do?"

"Murder. Torture...

...Rape."

Another silence. Then...

"Who?"

"Other prisoners, anyone he wanted. "

There was a whisper of footsteps in the sand and then she was in front of him, the weight of her gaze bearing down upon him yet he still couldn't look at her.

”Children?"

The question was so quiet it took him a moment to understand. When it finally sank in his eyes snapped up to hers, wide with shock.

_She thinks I'm capable of that?_

_But why would she not when I am capable of so many atrocities...?_

"No...No!"

”Because you wouldn't or because you weren't ordered to?"

”I wouldn't...I could not...he had the mind stone, he tried to make me do unspeakable things. He was in my head. Him. The mind stone. Tearing my resistance apart from within, not letting me die until I couldn't fight him any longer and in the end I begged...I _begged_ to do those unspeakable things to avoid ...to avoid being made to do worse things. He broke me. He took everything there was to take."

Sand gave way beneath him as he fell to his knees. 

Screams echoed in in his head but he didn't know if they were memories or his own voice.

"Are you saying you had to choose between killing, torturing and raping adults ...or doing the same to children?"

"Yes."

"Did you get it up?"

"What?"

"You heard me."

"No."

"No you didn't hear me or no, you couldn't get it up?"

"The last."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"No."

"Does the thought of rape get you hard?"

"No."

She knelt down in the sand in front of him, her face blank and her voice still frighteningly even.

"Then he didn't take everything. I cannot give you absolution, Loki. I cannot be your moral compass nor am I the good woman who's love will keep you on the straight and narrow. I am as drenched in blood as you are and frankly, it only depends who's name you do it in as to whether they hail you a villain or a hero so I don't care who you've tortured and killed but I promise you this - if you give me any indication - any at all - that you have a liking or a desire to rape again, then I will come for you. The _dragon_ will come for you and you will not survive. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I understand." Hot tears of relief and clarity rolled down his face. "Swear it," he insisted.

"I swear."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

Morgan ambled behind Loki who had been striding ahead of her for what seemed like hours now. He was silent, subdued and lacked any of his usual swagger but those long legs of his still covered the ground with ease and as there was no urgency that required her to expend the effort keeping pace, she was content to take the rear. 

The beach stretched on endlessly and the witch had no idea where they were going. She guessed that Loki didn't know either and that they were just moving for the sake of it as well as to avoid the only other route - the one that would take them through the gnarled and tangled roots of Yggdrasil. It was obvious to her now, why he had been avoiding the world tree. Yggdrasil was all about the naked truth and Loki just hadn't been ready - he'd been barely keeping his demons at bay - it would come soon though, she thought. His confession had clearly cost him a great deal but they were a long way from done and they were going to need fresh water soon - they couldn't avoid the tree forever. 

”Maybe we should stop here for the night - or whatever. Does this place _have_ a night?" she called after him, finally breaking the silence. Conversation had dried up after her bleak promise - he was in turmoil and she had her own feelings to process. 

Loki lifted as head as if he had been disturbed from a trance and stopped to look back. "No..." She noticed that his speech faltered and he had to clear his throat, "...no the light doesn't change but we can stop if you're tired. Are you tired?" He looked as if that possibility simply hadn't occurred to him until now and he questioned her with haunted eyes.

"A little," Morgan nodded, "it was a big fight with the raging fire monster and you haven't really told me what the hell it was all about either, so how about a bedtime story, hmm?" It wasn't a subtle move but it wouldn't do to let him shut down again and she couldn't think of any way to get him to talk about the important things other than to try and get him to talk about _anything_.

He gave her a brief nod and a resigned flash of those green eyes in answer.

 _I wish I was better at this sort of thing._ She sighed inwardly, frustrated with herself. 

A semi circle of rocks jutted out into the beach from under the canopy of twisted wood; it would allow them something to rest against without having to touch the tree and Morgan led the way in, finding a good spot to settle where she could lean her back against the rock and dig her toes into the white sand. 

Loki took up a position a few feet away and busied himself with unfastening and pulling off his boots. She kept a watchful eye on him, her fingers curling idly around the hems of the far-too-long sleeves of his tunic that he'd insisted she wear. 

"You called him Surtr?" It was clumsy but she had to start it somewhere and she recalled that name booming across the city as she'd hurtled her way through the sky towards Loki and the huge fiery foe. She also recalled the sight of Loki's figure rising and growing to match the height of the giant - she couldn't imagine what depths he'd had to plumb to summon enough power for that. 

 "Surtr was the last of the Fire Giants from Muspelheim."

”Where had he been...where did he come from? Tell me the story...” 

_Come on, Loki...join in._

"Aeons ago the Fire Giants battled Asgard for supremacy. The war was so fierce and so prolonged that in the end they were all destroyed, save one. Surtr and Odin fought on until eventually Odin prevailed but he could not kill the giant, he could only imprison him in void. I do not know how he broke free but it would indicate that the Odinforce is growing weaker."

"The Odinforce?"

"The most powerful magic in the universe. Wielded by the ruler of Asgard."

" _You_ are - were - the ruler of Asgard?"

"I was but I was not granted the Odinforce."

"Because Odin is still alive?"

"Did you doubt that?"

”I didn't think you'd killed him if that's what you mean but you were so bloody cryptic about it all..." _Don't get defensive ... dial it back you daft bitch_  

"I could hardly blame you if you did think I killed him but I did not. There was ... a reconciliation of sorts. Not warm by anyone's standards but Frigga's death ..." he paused and licked his lips, a profound sadness in his eyes, "...my mother's death broke his heart, he asked me to rule in his stead for a while - the conditions being that no-one could know it was me - and then he simply disappeared."

"I'm sorry about Frigga. You leave so much unsaid, Loki, but her loss is written all over your face. "  

"Perhaps it is better she did not live to discover the worst of me."

"Perhaps. But I don't think it is as black and white as all that.”

”How can you even look at me? How can you stand it, Morgan, knowing what I've done?"

"I've been asking myself that for the last few hours."

"And what conclusion did you come to?"

 "That my head and my heart are both conflicted. " She took a breath as she sought the right words to explain. "Intellectually, I suppose I should be revolted. Repulsed. But I've met many rapists, of all kinds - to their cost I might add - and you are _not_ like them. There has never been anything about you that gave me that vibe. If I close my eyes knowing you are close by all I feel is ...comfortable." _Home_. "I have to allow that you were under the power of an infinity stone - who the hell can fight that? "

"Does that excuse me of my crimes?" The look of self-loathing he wore was heart-breaking. 

"I don't know but I do know this: you did your damnedest to get beaten by the Avengers and taken out of Thanos' reach, you took the responsibility of ruling Asgard with no recognition or thanks and which involved seriously depleting your own magic just to keep up a facade that was imposed upon you AND you were good at it by all accounts - there was much talk in the barracks how Odin seemed to have softened to good effect, you isolated yourself from any relationship or emotional bond, hell you isolated yourself from _yourself_ , never mind anyone else, then you took on a fight you didn't have the power to win to protect an entire civilisation from destruction. 

You've been under a self-imposed penance for years, Loki and now it"s over, something else needs to happen. Maybe you need to find a way to forgive _yourself_? Maybe Yggdrasil can help you?"

"How could you possibly know I allowed myself to be beaten by the Avengers? Even I wasn't really sure...?"

"Oh come on, Fandral told me all about it and you're far too clever to think that a plan _that_ stupid would have worked which also suggests you might have found ways to alleviate the suffering of those you were compelled to abuse..?"

_Am I clutching at straws...?_

He stared at her for a long moment until he allowed himself a small shrug and the briefest of nods.

”Possibly," was all he said and Morgan nearly bit her own tongue in vexation. 

 _Alright, go big or go home_. 

 "Did I tell you that Merlin imprisoned me beneath Glastonbury Tor?" 

He looked confused at her change of tack.  

”Not in detail." 

"He used some spell to imprison me in the rock. Not under it - _in_ it. A thousand tons of cold stone pouring through my body, obliterating me every nanosecond, over and over again and whatever dark magic he cursed me with, keeping me alive to endure the agony for six hundred fucking years until the earthquake that set me free. The point of this story is that I was angry, Loki. When I got out I was burning with hatred and I destroyed entire villages. I _ate_ entire villages. Men, women and children."

”Why did you stop?”

"Pure selfishness. Not the romantic kind but a friendship - with a man who was brave enough to face me down and find out what made me tick. He focused my rage, used it to fight his cause but is that better? Is it okay because it was perceived to be honourable? Was he a hero or was he selfish? Was I? I know that I am supposed to feel remorse, that I am supposed to say that I regret those things but I don't. So - now you know the worst of _me_ , what do you think?"

"I suppose... I think...you have the morals of a sewer rat?"

"There you go."

"There I go what?"

"There you go we've both done very bad things and I don't know what it means but you should think about it."

”I appreciate what you're trying to do but....you're doing it really badly...”

"I know, I peaked way back with 'maybe you should forgive yourself' didn't I?"

"That was definitely a high point."

They stared at each other for a moment until they both cracked and snorted with laughter. His smile faded away as quickly as it had come but he seemed more relaxed as he picked at his fingertips, studying them intently. 

"We have to go into the roots and find water, Loki. You can't avoid it much longer." 

"I know. Rest for now." 

 

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

Waking up with a groan, Morgan sat upright, brushed the sand off the side of her face with an irritated slap and swallowed a few times, trying to create some saliva to loosen up her sticky tongue. "Fuck. I need a drink, " she rasped but there was no reply. Loki's absence wasn't exactly a surprise - she'd expected him to be gone when she woke though the ever-constant grey light made it impossible to judge how long it had been since he'd left. 

The witch swallowed again and rubbed at her dry lips, her raging thirst driving her to her feet to go in search of fresh water. She left Loki a message written in the sand - she saw no sense in waiting, he could be gone for days or never come back at all. That last thought wasn't one she wanted to dwell on so she followed his footsteps out of the rocks and towards the shadowy tangle of dark, treeroots. She paused before entering, craning her neck back to take a look at the sheer wall of woody stems that rose vertically upwards and out of sight into a grey mist. It reminded her a little of the Trollveggen in Norway though if she had to guess, this was probably higher.

Staring up at it made her head swim - from what she gathered these roots connected all the worlds somehow and she began to wonder if the tree she had been chained to against her will was Yggdrasil itself or just - a representative - it was so tiny in comparison. 

The trail of footsteps disappeared a short way in beneath the cool canopy, and she followed them until the sand petered out and the ground beneath her bare feet became mossy and springy to walk on. Though it was much darker inside, the air felt fresher and less dry than the beach and the grey roots wove arches and patterns like the bleached bones of shipwrecks. 

She let her fingers trail along the wood as she walked - lightly at first, tentatively seeking that connection she had felt before. It was there but the presence of Yggdrasil seemed faint - as if it were preoccupied with something, or someone, else.

Her touch grew bolder and more confident, her palm moulding around the curves and twists as her consciousness travelled far deeper, following a sensation that she could only describe as being like the buzz of indistinguishable voices that you might hear from a few rooms away.

She was curious - she assumed it was Loki and Yggdrasil - and she let her mind go wandering further, searching for them until a violently sharp stabbing pain brought her rushing back in to herself. 

_Caw_

"Bastard!"

_Caw kraakraaa_

"All _right_ \- but eavesdropping is a very strong word and I'm not sure I deserved the vicious peck."

_Ka_

"We'll agree to disagree then. Despite that...it's quite good to see you again." She gave the raven a smile that was very nearly warm and held out an arm for him to hop on to. "Huginn eh?" she murmured as she stroked its glossy black head. "Do you know where the water is, my friend? I badly need a drink."

_Caw_

The raven spread his wings and glided a little way, cawing at her to follow as it led her through the roots. It would alternate gliding from root to root with occasional waddling along the mossy floor until they reached a clear pool barely the size of her bedroom back at the garrison. It was fed by a small waterfall that poured from a hollow tree root about seven feet high and the witch dipped her head under and drank greedily.

"Good find, Huginn, " Morgan 

On an impulse she pulled off Loki's borrowed tunic, dropping it carelessly on the bank then stepping underneath the thin stream of water to wash away the sand and salt that clung to her skin.

"Mind if I join you?"

it wasn't so much him having appeared from nowhere as his request that surprised her. There was a hint of the playfulness in his voice that had been sorely missing recently as well as a suggestion of the kind of intimacy that Morgan was beginning to wonder if they would ever share again. 

She nodded in consent - questions could wait until later because for the moment, she was completely occupied with watching Loki undress. The undershirt came off over his head in one smooth movement revealing the taught, wiry musculature beneath that she remembered so well. His boots were kicked off and there was the slightest of pauses as his fingers reached for his fly. Loki's eyes met hers for a brief moment that was full of potency and then she let her gaze drop back to his waist with a slow deliberation. 

She could feel his eyes burning into her but she didn't look up again until the leather pants had been cast aside with the rest of his garments and he stood before her in all his glory - then she met his eyes once more and it was as if the universe had suddenly clicked into place.

"Come here..." she whispered, "...my love."

They folded into each other's arms as if they had never been apart, his strong embrace lifting her partially out of the water while his lips brushed hers in a featherlight touch - prolonging the kiss that they had denied each other for so long for just a few seconds more. She breathed his air for a moment and then she closed the distance, pressing a kiss to his mouth that started out sweet and chaste then deepened into a furious hunger driven wild by all the long, lonely years of darkness that had come between them.

He reached the bank in one stride and threw her down, his tongue delving into her mouth as he braced himself on one hand and used the other to hook under her knee and spread her open. Grunting, he drove himself deep and Morgan gasped as her cunt was filled deliciously with his fat, rock hard cock. Pushing himself upright he grasped her other thigh and opened her up completely, fucking her with a violent intensity that she knew was an emotional purging as much as the physical. Her hands grasped at tufts of moss, her cries rising with the speed of his thrusts until he ejaculated in hard convulsions deep within her as she came around him. 

He dropped her legs as he finished, his hips snapping forward in the last few involuntary thrusts as he braced his hands flat on the earth and hung over her body - literally ad metaphorically drained. His long black hair dragged across her skin and the witch brought a hand down to wind strands of it between her trembling fingers and guide him back to her. 

"I love you, " she murmured as they lay listening to the pounding in each others chest. "Whatever happens to us now, know that you are loved." In response, she felt his lips move against her neck and the cool puff of his breath against her skin and though the words had no sound, she recognised their rythmn and was content. 

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

”Morgan?"

"Hm?" As vague as her response sounded she was fully engaged in the present. They were still locked together - his climax had ruined him and  his considerable, Asgardian weight had collapsed on her but she'd been happy to remain silent beneath him and let him find his own way back from wherever his mind had gone.

She amused herself in the meantime by re-acquainting herself with his nakedness. Her fingers wandered over his skin, drawn to the touchstones of the familiar freckles and tiny blemishes that had remained surprisingly clear in her memory. His new scars were also explored and mapped - the large one on his back near his shoulder blade where she guessed the dark elf's spear had exited. It had a companion on his chest too though she'd barely noticed it in their urgent need to fuck - she rolled her hips at the memory, breathing harder as she felt his cock twitch a little. She wanted to get him hard again, to be fucked again but for longer this time - for hours in fact. She wanted to stay by this pool for days and have his cock inside her in every way she could think of. She wanted to pretend that there was nothing but this forest of tree roots, no world but this one, no consequences except for the burn of his come running down her thigh. 

"Morgan."

The witch groaned, her hands had moved down to his buttocks and she dug her nails in, willing him to start thrusting.

”I know what you're going to say..." His tone of voice was expressive enough, she didn't want to hear his misgivings spelled out. "...and I know but we can talk later, I just want you to fuck me," she urged, her lips flushed with lust, "fuck me hard..."

Morgan pulled at his hips, rewarded by his burgeoning erection, swelling in the heat of her cunt. 

"Damn," he breathed, shunting a long deep thrust into her. "Turn over then if you want it hard," he growled withdrawing suddenly and manhandling her smaller frame until she was lying on her front on the bank, her legs knee deep in the cool water. 

"Like this?" His muscled thighs pushed her legs wide apart and he filled as suddenly as he had withdrawn moments before. She cursed, urging him on faster and harder and he fucked her for a very long time.

Morgan came within the first few minutes though he paid no mind to her gaped convulsions, his rythmn barely even slowing. By the end he was just using her for his own pleasure but that in itself was satisfying to her - she took a perverse enjoyment in it and encouraged him verbally until his thrusts became erratic and sloppy and her pussy was so wet he slipped out of her. He swore, taking himself in hand and she felt the hot spurt of semen over her buttocks as he finally finished. 

"Norns, " he exhaled with a long, deep groan, "what is it you do to me, witch?" He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her up and backwards until she was flush against him, uncaring of the sticky mess on her skin. 

"Sorcery," she smiled, unresisting.

"I believe it." His other arm went around her to cradle beneath her breasts, cupping one gently his palm. "Morgan, I can't promise..."

"I know, I know...you don't need to promise, we will just take each day as it comes, yes?" 

"You are a good woman," he murmured the words into her hair.

"Now we both know that isn't true - I am a cock hungry murderer with the morals of a sewer rat and you need to wash me off you filthy pervert, I have your pearl jam all over my backside."

His deep velvet chuckle sounded in her ears and he carried her over to the waterfall. She liked that they made each other laugh despite the desperate mess that had formed the setting of their relationship so far. She didn't believe in fate but if it existed, then this was where she was meant to be. 

 

Later, as they dressed - or rather as he dressed and she pulled on his tunic once again - a thought occurred to her.

"If this is the place between worlds then can you get to any world from here?"

"Technically yes. Why?"

"Could we not just go home. To Midgard I mean?"

"You don't think there are ... loose ends that I should tie up in Asgard?"

"Uh, why go back? Why risk the consequences? They aren't likely to let you be king anymore are they?" 

"Maybe not, I imagine Thor will have returned and I am sure I will not be welcomed back with open arms but I cannot hide on Midgard, Heimdall sees all."

"Does he see us now?"

"Not in this place but whichever world we go to, his gaze will find us eventually. It would be better to deal with whatever they throw at me and get it out of the way - then, perhaps, I could come to you on Midgard?"

That his return to Asgard might not end well was implicit in everything that he didn't say and Morgan closed her eyes against the rising fear in her chest. 

"I'm not going to lose you again," she whispered, opening her eyes to stare up at him, "I'm coming back with you and I won't let them hurt you."

"Would you start a war with Asgard?" he asked gently.

"If needs be..."

"I think  it's entirely possible that you might win," he chuckled, "but once you have laid waste to an entire realm - what then? What of the endless consequences of that destruction? It would never end, Morgan. There would be no peace at all and I would like...I would like to come to you knowing the might of the universe was _not_ going to come for the both of us. What are a few more years to us for the sake of that peace of mind, hm?"

_Years?_

She nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But just because you're right doesn't mean I have to like it. That damn tree has a lot to fucking answer for."

"Let me remind you that it was your suggestion that I give myself up to Yggdrasil. You were right, too, it did help. "

"Though you're still punishing yourself."

"There are no easy answers but the burgeoning madness, at least, has abated. I see more clearly than I have in a long while."

"Off to Asgard we go then."

 

 

. 

 


	16. Chapter 16

The path back to Asgard brought them out through a fissure in the cliff face that ran behind the barracks. Looking back at it, it was barely wide enough for the witch to slip her hand inside never mind her whole body. There was a little interdimensional fuckery going on there and she side-eyed Loki because she knew that was very very difficult magic to pull off. 

"Impressed?" He smirked a little and she snorted at his cockiness. 

"Only surprised that you were able to get your head through it," she teased. 

Their shared moment of levity only lasted a few seconds, fading quickly as they turned towards the city and considered their next move.

"Are you ready for this?" Morgan glanced at his profile, well aware that despite the clarity that Yggdrasil might have given him, he still carried reservoirs of pain that would probably never entirely go away. They'd been established within him when they first met yet she recalled that he'd taken the trouble to bury her when he thought she was dead and then dig her up again when he had a hunch that might not be permanent. She also recalled how he'd saved her from Thanos and shouldered that torment for himself and it roused a strong protective streak in her - one that had previously only been bestowed upon her home and the village nearby that had tolerated her presence for the last few centuries and one other recipient - a baby - murdered over a millennium ago. She could se though that his shields were going up and he had already switched personas - the Prince of Asgard stood in his place, his shoulders set and jaw muscles twitching. 

"I'm always ready, darling." He half turned and gave her a rakish wink, and she shook her head in resignation. She knew she needed to let him deal with it in his own way. This Loki, this rogue, had all his usual sex appeal and charm but there was a brittle edge to him - a distance that separated him from the Loki that she took inside her body, the one who's heart she felt beating against her breasts as they fucked - that Loki was _hers_ , this one was for everyone else. But it was okay - they were both a part of the same man and she loved them both - she loved them all.

"Then lets go get 'em, tiger."

The soft weight of Huginn settled on her shoulders - the damn bird just appeared out of nowhere whenever it felt like it - and all three of them stepped forward on to the road that took them to the golden palace.

They were spotted within seconds - a guard sat outside on the steps sharpening his sword did a double take and shot into the building without a word.

"So it begins, " Loki murmured but his long stride did not falter and Morgan was right beside him.

Half a mile down the road they noticed the group of about a dozen armed soldiers that were quietly bringing up their rear. Two miles on and a cloud of dust heralded a welcome party on horses up ahead. Morgan felt Loki stiffen next to her as the riders became recognisable and they could both see the flowing red cloak clearly. 

Thor's horse shone shone copper bright and dramatically tossed a flowing mane as blonde as its rider's as the thunder god dismounted and bore down on Loki and Morgan.

"WHERE IS HE?" Thor bellowed taking Loki's throat in a death grip and nearly lifting him off his feet. "LOKI, WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I appreciate the hero's welcome but perhaps you could play the cheering down a little," Loki gargled, using a hand to try and loosen Thor's grip. 

"HEY!” Morgan shot forward without thinking, her latent power bursting through her outstretched fingers in a lightning blast that sent the mighty Thor flying and Loki crashing to the floor in a heap.

She'd barely drawn breath before she was poleaxed by Mjolnir and went down like felled tree. The witch curled into a ball, clutching her head and howling in agony. " _BOLLOCKS THAT'S FUCKING_ AGONY _YOU PUS DRIPPING BELL END!"_

"Where IS  _ODIN_?"

Everything erupted into a chaotic scramble of confused guards, erratic shouting and a scrum involving Loki, Thor and Morgan that nobody really wanted to stick their hands into the middle of to break up. 

 

"That is _enough_! Everybody just _calm down_." Fandral exuded an authority that surprised everyone as he strode without fear into the midst of the fight and pulled Loki and Thor apart by their collars. "Break it up, witch," he commanded and Morgan reluctantly released her jaws from around Thor's bicep.

"I understand that passions are high but we will _not_ brawl in the streets like vagabonds. You, you will escort his highness, King Thor, back to the palace and tend to his bite wounds," Fandral raised an accusing eyebrow in Morgan's direction as he directed most of the guards to ride back with their sovereign. "You two will help me accompany the Prince and ... Lady de Gorlois to the healers where we will provide them with care and refreshment before we call a council. Well...what are you all waiting for? _Go_..!"

Thor acquiesced to Fandral's direction with a curt, rather shamed nod and rode away in the direction from which he had come. Fandral drew two of the remaining horses forward for Loki and Morgan. "You look tired," was all the explanation he offered. 

"Thank you." Loki dusted himself off and took the reins of a young bay that snorted, green and unsettled by the skirmish. He lay a calming hand on its neck and spoke a few quiet words that no one could hear but the horse settled with a wicker and the dark prince of Asgard swung nimbly onto its back. 

"Ride with me...?"

Morgan was stopped in her tracks as she headed towards the other horse and turned to stare at Loki who smiled down at her, his hand extended.

"...my lady?"

How could she say no? 

Loki pulled her up in front of him and she opted to sit sidesaddle - given how naked she was under the tunic she wore it seemed the most comfortable option - nestling against his chest as he took up the reins. 

Fandral gave them an appraising look but said nothing and the small group clattered towards the west of the city and the Healers Chambers. 

These streets were far from the main thoroughfares but nonetheless, a crowd gathered to watch the small procession. Loki kept his gaze pointed resolutely forward and she knew why but Morgan took the opportunity to study the crowd, searching their faces to get a sense of their mood. She noticed they were still cleaning up in the aftermath of the flood that Surtr had caused - debris littered streets, shopfronts and gardens but the citizens all stopped their endeavours and a murmur started to ripple through the city. At first she thought it was an accusation but as it gathered momentum she heard it more clearly and her heart almost stopped.

 

Grœðari

 

_Saviour_

 

"Loki," she whispered, tugging at his shirt, "Loki... _look_."

One by one the people of Asgard lined the city streets and one by one they knelt in honour of their prince. 

 


	17. Chapter 17

" _Thor...!"_

"This time he is going to _pay_...!"

"Listen to me!"

"He _killed_ my father!"

"You don't know that yet."

"What other explanation can there be? "

"We should - we _must_ \- hear him out..."

"More tricks! More _lies_! I am done with him, Fandral. You warned me not to release him from his cell, not to trust him and you were right. How can I forgive him for this?"

"Much has changed since then..." Fandral let out an exasperated sigh. Thor had a tendency to see everything in black and white but Loki...Loki was every shade in between and Fandral had a hunch this was not just a simple case of patricide. If only he could get Thor to calm down enough to at least listen. 

"There will be justice, I swear it! I will hang him from the yardarm! I will hang them _both_ , we will string up his pet lizard-woman alongside him!"

"Thor! You cannot .... we don't _have_ any yardarms...besides, I don't think that word means what you think it means"

"Then we will build one! The people of Asgard need to see justice done..."

"Thor, the people of Asgard are kneeling in the street in honour of your brother."

" _What_?" 

Well this could go either way. Fandral put one of the upturned tables between himself and his raging friend and plunged on. "Its true. They have named him as saviour of the city...you must realise that they know nothing about the deception - only the council saw that - all they know - all they saw - is Loki - saving them from the fire giant at his own cost. And the witch too."

"Saviour? _Saviour_?" Thor's voice went up an octave. "I will tell them the truth and then they will call for his blood. They do not know what a monster he is but when they do..."

"They will not support you in this - the whole city is still reeling from it's losses...the war with the dark elves ...the rebellions... we have all lost too much. They do not _want_ blood and thunder, Thor, they want a _king_  - to safeguard them."

The two men stared defiantly at each other in silence for a heartbeat. When he spoke again Thor's voice had settled to a dangerous calm and his blue eyes focused on the warrior with a dangerous glint. 

"I take it you are saying that _you_ will not support me in this?"

Fandral raised his chin."You are my friend as well as my king..." he smoothed.

"Fandral?"

"Very well then, no I cannot support you in this. A lynching will solve nothing and I would not have you seen as a tyrant." 

That possibility seemed to surprise the big man as his head snapped back in shock. "I am not a tyrant..."

"No but an execution in this manner would surely paint you as such. There would be too many rumours, too many doubts for the people to trust you. "

"Then what _would_ you have me do?"

"Bring him in front of a council...hear his story. Only then can the next move be decided but if he is guilty, he must be tried in public. Whatever the outcome, you are our king now, my friend, and you must temper your...temper..."

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The healers had bustled around her briefly but the full sum of their ministrations had amounted to making her drink a glass of something that tasted a lot like apple juice but had a bigger kick. She drained the glass and turned to the pile of clothing - her clothing -  that had presumably been brought from her room. It occurred to her that they probably had a lot more than just that to thank Fandral for and she made a mental note to express her gratitude - if they ever got the chance.

Loki had been silent since the ride through the city. He'd impatiently batted away the healers, who had paid a lot more attention to him than they had Morgan, though she noted he'd drunk his own glass of scrumpy - or whatever it was - just as quickly as she had downed hers but he'd been standing and staring out of the window ever since. 

She watched him as she pulled her leathers and boots on and pulled her hair back with a tie that she found in one of her pockets. His arms were folded across his chest, a posture which only seemed to emphasise the sharp angles of his broad shoulders. One of his forefingers ran in idle movements across his bottom lip as he stared out of the window, green eyes focused on something that wasn't the view. 

Morgan could only guess what that might be but she'd been leaning against him as they'd ridden through the streets and she'd felt the way he'd trembled as the citizens of Asgard had kneeled in his honour.  The witch was astute enough to realise that, for all his swagger and cocksure front, he had no precedent and no idea how to deal with that.

"You need to get changed, Loki. They'll be coming for us soon." 

It took him a moment to break out of his thoughts and look at her and even then he still seemed to be completely at a loss. Morgan responded to his distracted expression with a gentle smile, a hitherto previously untapped sense of compassion washing over her. 

These were strange times indeed. 

"Come on, I'll help you." Her hands rested on his hips and turned him away from the window to face her. "They've laid out all your stuff but you might have to tell me which order it goes on." She spoke for the sake of something to say really and, perhaps, to give him something to focus on. 

His light undershirt came off over his head without fuss and Morgan dropped it on the floor. Loki still didn't speak but he certainly seemed to be more present than before. 

”These too.." she unfastened his waistband then had a change of mind. "Boots first is probably easier, right?" She grinned steering him by the waist to lean against the table and knelt down in front of him. His eyes locked on to hers and the flicker of a smile twitched the corners of his mouth as she bent her head and pulled his boots off. 

When she looked up again he had rested his hands on the table edge behind him and he lifted a quizzical - and ever so slightly lascivious - eyebrow as he watched her eyes flick down to his open fly and back up. He was concentrating fully on her now and Morgan ran her tongue across her lips, the tension buzzing between them. 

A great many witticisms presented themselves but she left them unsaid, their connection was so strong in that moment that words would only have broken it. Her fingers slipped inside his trousers, sliding over his hip bones and pulling the leather down with them as they travelled down his thighs and eventually tugged them free of his feet.

He watched her intently now, his position unchanged and green fire burning in his irises as the witch took a moment or two to appreciate his nakedness. His body was hard - sculpted - like an ancient greek  statue, lithe and vigorous. Her gaze travelled down his chest and over his stomach, noting the rise and fall of his ribs with each breath and the way his thick, heavy cock twitched almost imperceptibly. It seemed a shame to cover him up again but that was what she did.

She reached up and pulled the clean pants from the pile, shaking them open for him to step into. She had to stand up to pull them over the curve of his buttocks and her palm smoothed across his cock to slip him inside neatly. He swelled under her touch and the way his head was bent meant his mouth was barely an inch from hers now and his black hair brushed her face as his eyes bore into her. The motion of his ribs had quickened in sync with her own breath getting heavier and her touch lingered at his hip bones for a moment until she finally buttoned him up. 

His boots went back on and then his clean tunic, all in the same heavy, comfortable silence. It seemed to mark a new depth to their relationship, dressing him had gone from being a simple act of kindness to one of deep reverence and mutual respect.

If there was an 'afterwards' for them - Morgan thought - if there could be a life for them together, it would be vastly different from crippling loneliness she had endured for the past millennia.  She darent let herself hope.

The supple leather straps flexed between her fingers as she buckled his vambraces and his chest plate into place. All that was left was his surcoat and he finally had to move from his resting position to shrug it up on to his shoulders. Morgan drew his long hair out from beneath the collar and combed it back from his face.

" _Ready_?" she whispered

" _Ready,"_ he confirmedand pressed a cool, tender kiss to her lips _._

 

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

The doors swung open revealing the great hall to be empty except for Thor, stiff and out of place on the throne with Fandral at his right hand. The only other occupants were two of the Great Council seated off to one side, clearly there as witnesses to whatever was going to happen and Morgan wondered if Thor had invited them or - more likely - Fandral.The guards remained outside and she heard the doors lock behind the witch and her raven haired companion - this was obviously going to be a private audience.

No instructions were forthcoming but Loki strode towards the throne without hesitation and Morgan followed suit - the impossibly loud, hollow echoes of their footsteps ringing through the chamber until they came to halt before the incumbent King of Asgard. She noted, with some satisfaction, that the thunder god still bore several bite marks from her onslaught from earlier. 

Thor, conversely, had no interest in her and barely spared her a glance, instead he scowled down at his half-brother with restless, twitching hands, the urge to ring the truth from his errant sibling bubbling beneath the surface like a volcano about to erupt but he said nothing - he just waited - as if he were expecting something else to happen first. 

Loki did not speak either but she sensed the tension in him, heard it in his breathing - not that he'd show it of course; his outward manner was as arrogant and louche as it ever was but she knew there was a cobra waiting to strike beneath that cool exterior and she did not need to see Loki's face to also know he'd be doing that smug thing with his eyebrows that could drive a _saint_ to visceral and bloody murder. 

The awkward silence dragged on punctuated only by a quiet cough from one of the councillors and the witch was starting to wonder what it was all about but then Thor, his patience evidently stretched to breaking point, laid it on the line. 

”You refuse to _kneel_ before your king?" A vein bulged in Thor's neck, the effort of _not_ strangling his brother clearly taking its toll.

 

Ohhhh.

Of course.

Oops.

 

"King? Has there been a coronation? How remiss of me to have missed it..." Loki's voice was light, musical and perfectly pitched for maximum annoyance.

Fandral pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers and let out a barely audible sigh.

”When this is done I will have you _hanged_ now - tell me  _WHERE IS ODIN_?” Thor was half out of his seat with fury. 

”As I previously explained, I have no idea.."

"I am sick to my stomach of your lies, you are a _snake_ and I will..."

” _No_! We will hear this out - sit down, Thor. _Sit down_!" It took some balls to get in the way of the raging behemoth and his dagger-tongued brother but Fandral clearly had a massive pair and Morgan was as surprised as everyone else in the room at the authority of the slender swordsman. Perhaps it was simply the shock of the normally jovial and mild-mannered Fandral losing his shit but whatever it was, Thor re-took his seat on the throne with a growl and Morgan felt Loki relax just a little bit beside her. 

"Loki - _please_ \- tell us how it is you are not dead and what happened to the Allfather...?"  

 It was interesting how differently Loki responded to Fandral. Arrogance was the Asgardian Prince's default setting so there was always that air of _fuck you_ about him but he didn't provoke and needle Fandral the way he did with Thor - those two wound eachother up and had evidently been doing so for centuries. Having a civilised conversation and exchange of information was clearly a challenge for both of them.

"Death is simply a matter of ...negotiation...if you know the right people. I made a deal and I was able to ... return."

"I care not what trickery brought you back - I have grieved for you too many times...." Thor drew heavy breaths through his nose, his voice quieter and cracking with emotion. "...as I have also grieved for Frigga. I do not wish to feel such sorrow again so if you know what happened to Odin then by the nine, will you _please_ tell us."

Despite Thor's lack of interest in Loki's rise from the grave, Morgan latched on to his sketchy explanation and mentally filled in the gaps. She turned her head, staring at his profile in shock. A fleeting flicker of his eyes in her direction told her that he had registered her reaction and the brief muscle spasm in his face confirmed that he knew they would be having Words with a capital W later.

If they were given the chance.

 

" _Where_ is our father...!"

 "I did not kill him." It seemed even Loki realised that pushing Thor any further beyond his breaking point would be more than just folly - it would be suicide. "The truth is, _brother_ , that you hear but you do not listen. I rarely lie, I simply tell truths that you would rather not hear. But it is far less taxing for you to believe me to be an unrepentant monster is it not?"

"I defended you when all others advised against it, I set you _free_ and you betrayed me - _again_. What else should I believe, Loki, but that you _are_ a monster...."

"And _so_ are you, " Loki snapped, his finger pointing in emphasis and accusation, "you believe yourself mighty and pure, beloved of all but you _revel_ in violence and death. You are just as much a monster as I - and just as much a dichotomy.  Odin lives as far as I know. I returned to Asgard, my identity concealed but the Allfather sees further than you, brother, though he is no less willing to use whomever he pleases to serve his own needs.

In return for my freedom he required me to take his place on the throne of Asgard - it seems Frigga's death was too much for him to bear and he wished to take a sabbatical. A journey towards spiritual healing perhaps? Whatever the reasons - he felt Asgard should not be left without its king in such times and thus, I took up the role."

 Morgan wondered if Thor heard the reservoirs of pain beneath the apparently amused laughter that accompanied those last few sentences - if he saw the real questions that lay beyond the obvious. Certainly, Loki was wily enough to see such a deal as an opportunity to take the throne, to acquire power and personal gain - but why come back at all? Everyone thought he was dead - why return to Asgard - even in disguise - why present himself to Odin instead of just taking the unconditional freedom that lay before him?

Whether Thor saw it or not, it was plain as day to the witch from what she knew now of Loki's story and from what she had witnessed in these last few days. Loki still desperately wanted Odin's approval - he needed to be worthy of the love from his father - a man who could not see the lost and damaged soul that stood before him - a man who could only think of his own need when both his sons had lost their mother.

It was just another way for Loki to punish himself for those dark crimes he could never confess to - except to her. A form of emotional masochism that Morgan was coming to see went far deeper than even she had previously thought. And it was an unrecognised expression of love for his dysfunctional family from a lost soul who knew no other way to show his feelings. 

"He gave you the throne? Why should I believe you..?" Thor looked confused and uncertain, his inner conflict fighting against his anger. 

"It does raise the question of supporting evidence, Loki?" Fandral interjected. 

"Exactly!" Thor thumped his hand against the arm of the throne. "Prove yourself innocent!"

"Now wait a minute!" Morgan had had enough and jabbed an accusing finger of her own in Thor's direction. "That is _not_ how justice works. You have _no_ body, _no_ evidence of any crime other than identity deception, the onus is on _you_ to prove Odin is actually dead, never mind anything else..."

"This does not concern you, witch! This is beyond your mortal rules..."

"Justice is universal and any idiot can see ..."

"What are you even doing here? Fandral, have this - _person_ \- removed.."

"Thor, this woman was instrumental in the protection of this city.."

"Lay a finger on her brother and I will..."

"You will what? WHAT? Loki...you want to fight? Do you want to prove your innocence in the arena?"

"Oh I'll take you on you _cock_ , I'll rip your _fucking_ balls off ..."

"Morgan..."

"You'd let a _woman_ fight for you?"

"Thor!"

"Are you _afraid_ of her, brother? I see she has already left her mark..."

 

 

_"If I may...?"_

 

Bragi spoke so quietly it was a miracle anyone heard him, so close were they all to tearing eachother apart but hear him they did and four, furious faces turned towards him as one.

 

"In the matter of proof, I believe that I can help. Odin entrusted me with a document before he left, a document that recounts the same agreement as his royal highness, Prince Loki, has explained to us today." Bragi held out the piece of paper which was snatched from his hand and devoured furiously by the thunder god.

"You _knew_?" Loki looked astounded. 

"It has been my privilege to serve the Allfather as an aide and as a friend for many years, " Bragi confirmed With a nod. "I have been privy to many of his decisions that are not publicly known. May I also say, in defence of our esteemed younger prince of Asgard, that his rule has been fair and just and the city has recovered and thrived under his direction." He turned to Loki. "On behalf of Asgard, we thank you for your protection and your sacrifice. Also, her highness Morgan, Queen of the Britons, your valour in the face of this most recent attack has been recognised and we thank you also." Bragi bowed to the waist and the hall fell completely silent once again. 

 

"The question remains then, " Fandral eventually ventured, "as to Odin's whereabouts? And what we do about it?" He glanced quickly at Bragi but was reassured by a brief shrug that the councillor did not have the answer to this. 

"You did not think to mention this earlier?" Thor's manner was much subdued, almost deflated, the document that declared his brother innocent still clutched in his hand.

"I simply followed the Allfather's instructions." Bragi bowed briefly in humble deference to his current king and would be drawn no further. 

"Then it seems you are exonerated and I was mistaken." Thor sighed deeply. "But I will find Odin.  _We_ will find him..." he added lifting his eyes to Loki. "...and I need your help brother. Please."

Loki was quiet for a moment and Morgan was sure he would demand an apology first but he did not. His green eyes were sharp and shrewd but he held any burgeoning retort  in check.  "Very well, though I fear we are hunting a needle in a haystack. Where do you intend to start?"

"I thought you might have some idea ..."

Loki rolled his eyes. "I see, so your plan is that I come up with a plan? Fine, so be it, I may have a few ideas and we may as well, start now ... Fandral, will you see to our guest?" His gesture indicated he meant Morgan. 

"It will be my pleasure."

"Wait a minute...?"

"Morgan...please... rest. I will be along in due course. I am sure Fandral will have the kitchens find you a decent meal."

She wasn't keen on being left out but the lure of food was strong and Loki clearly wanted to do this alone.

"Fine, don't be too long." She agreed reluctantly, letting Fandral lead her away, out of the hall and towards the certainty of a very large dinner. She cast one final glance over her shoulder but Loki was already deeply involved in explaining something to Thor with exaggerated patience and he did not glance back. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

"So....you and Loki...?" Fandral's tone was light and innocently inquisitive - almost too innocent.

Morgan glanced over at his profile as they walked, wondering what his angle was. "Yes. Me and Loki. Does that surprise you?" She was tired and not really in the mood for small talk but she felt she owed Fandral some respect for all he had done.

He pondered a while and when he spoke his tone was thoughtful. "No," he said, "on reflection, no it doesn't." Fandral turned his head and gave her a warm smile. "I can see exactly why he likes you, he never did have much time for the more traditional virtues."

"Uh..thanks?" Morgan snorted.

"I mean...the young ladies of our court only held his interest until they'd given up ...err..."

"Until he'd tricked them in to sleeping with him you mean?"

"Well...oh..."

"It's alright, I don't have a lot of time for traditional virtues either."

"Loki is a difficult character but I think you are a good match."

"I'm sure that was meant to be a compliment?" 

"It was...it is..." Fandral sighed in exasperation at himself and tried to get a grip on rational thought. "You are formidable - in the very best sense. I think he needs formidable, someone capable of taking him to task on equal terms."

She didn't know how to respond to that, so close was it to the truth. Loki had all but asked her outright to be his executioner should the darkest part of his soul ever surface again and she had agreed without hesitation. Fandral had hit upon what was probably the very bedrock of the connection between the Midgardian witch and the Asgardian prince - Loki needed a nemesis.

There were probably beings who could best him of course - even kill him - but none who would or could do so out of mercy or love. Save one, perhaps, but Morgan doubted that Thor could ever really strike the killing blow. It brought her mind back to that moment in the hall a short while ago when Loki had mentioned his 'deal' as the reason for his resurrection and her need to find out exactly what he had been up to.

"Does he make you happy?"

The question took her by surprise, not only had she been lost in thought but it was a good question and not one she had really considered.

"He does, " she answered slowly, "the world seems...better...when we are together. Though being together hasn't happened that much."

"How long have you known he was masquerading as Odin?" They paused outside a door and the witch faced her companion. His expression was as benign as ever though his blue eyes held a softness she hadn't noticed before.

"Only after I arrived here, I thought he was dead too, for a long while," she carried on quickly, before he had time to interrupt, "I should thank you, Fandral, for your help. With everything."

It was pretty weak as gratitude went but Fandral smiled and offered a brief but formal nod of acceptance.

"It was a privilege and an honour. Asgard owes you a debt. We owe you both a debt."

Morgan nodded back in awkward silence. She was unused to such recognition but she also would not cheapen it by confessing how selfish her perceived act of bravery had been.

The only thing on her mind when she'd flown into the fray had been Loki.

"I will have the kitchens send you some food, but Loki is right, you should try to rest."

"Thank you, Fandral. However inadequate it sounds - you have been a good friend."

"Rest. I will see you soon."

 

 

 

The room it turned out was actually a suite - a set of luxurious chambers richly decorated and, as she closed the door behind her and realised what was waiting for in the corner, a warm smile lit up her face.

Caliburn leaned against the wall - it's hilt gleamed, its scabbard appeared freshly oiled and she had no doubt the blade would also be pristine.

"Thank you," she murmured again, though Fandral was long gone.

 

 

 

 

"Morgan...?"

The velvet caress of his voice finally permeated her dozing brain and eased her gently back to consciousness.

"Loki?" She mumbled, rolling towards his weight until she was on her back, blinking him into focus. He was leaning over her, his long hair falling across his shoulders.

"Did you eat everything in the palace kitchen?"

Morgan stared blankly at his smiling face until the joke finally registered. "I ate everything they sent me. Can't resist a challenge," she quipped and scrubbed sleep from her eyes. "Are you coming to bed?"

How odd to be able to say that, she thought; how quiet and domestic; how contrary to the unease and drama that had been their relationship so far.

She rather liked it. She was ready for a little quiet domesticity and her fingers crept up to the lapels of his jacket and tugged him gently towards her.

"No, I have to leave.."

The cosiness and warmth fled so clumsily from the moment she could almost have grabbed its leg as it went. Her sigh was sharp and pointed as she pushed herself upright. "I'll get dressed then, where are we going?"

"You're not coming."

"Like hell I'm not..." Morgan blinked again, now fully awake she took a good look at Loki - he was dressed head to foot in black in a Savile Row suit so sharp she was lucky not to have cut herself. "That's a hell of a suit - we're going to Midgard?"

"You. Are. Not. Coming. I just came to say goodbye ..."

"Are you winding me up?" She was almost numb with disbelief but the set of his shoulders and the flash of steel in his eyes told her he wasn't joking.

"No - Morgan - I'm going with Thor, he wants me to find Odin and when that is done, I swear, I will come and find you."

Every fibre of her being screamed out in protest and her grip on his lapel tightened but she chose her words carefully, avoiding the stream of obscenities that she wanted to unleash. 

"You...you are not leaving me behind. Not again, Loki..." She tried to stay calm, to be centred and still but it just felt heavy - oppressive - like the air before a storm.

"This is something I need to do." An edge was creeping into his voice and Morgan knew this battle was already lost - he had made up his mind and she knew he still had issues to work through, issues that she could not help with except to wait patiently until he was ready to move on. 

It was the patience part that was killing her - her outward resilience was slowly crumbling inside brick by brick - pulled down by the weight of a thousand years of loneliness and every time he was ripped from her arms - metaphorically and physically. She understood that he was fractured, that he needed time to heal but every step he took towards his self-healing was beginning to seem as if it were dragging her further from her own. 

"Why? I don't understand why?" she confessed in a weary tone. "This family that rejected you - whom _you_ rejected - why do you need them so badly?"

"That's hard to explain to someone so long without a family..."

She guessed he'd not meant it unkindly but it felt like a judgement - a dismissal - and it touched a deep nerve. The ghosts of tragic memories stirred from their slumber and clawed at what was left of her strength and her resolve. The strong hands of the warrior, the gentle fingers of the mother and the tiny hands of the child - all gone, all lost in blood and cruelty - they grasped at her, pulling her back into the darkness she had fought so hard to leave behind. 

Loki loved her, she was sure of that on an instinctive, unconscious level but whether they would or could actually ever be together... Morgan was beginning to doubt that happiness could ever be truly within her reach. 

"Why don't you go home, Morgan? That is what it was all about for you, wasn't it? Your deal with Thanos ...You wanted to go home? Maybe this is the time? Heimdall can send you back..."

"So that's it? That's _it_...? After everything we've been through, you're just going to send me away?"

"No...yes... _no_ , I'm not sending you away - I'm asking you to ..."

"To what?"

"To be patient. It is not our time, not yet."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say - this didn't go the way I thought it would - poor lonely Morgan - but this is the start of Thor: Ragnarok for Loki so I guess they will meet on the other side - when he might be less damaged.
> 
> Would you like that to be started as a new story or continued in this one? I'm not sure if it matters to readers or not?


	20. Chapter 20

John Frasier - jobbing carpenter, father of two and resident of the small Scottish town of Portnacroish on the shores of Loch Linnhe for all his thirty four years - had been trying to give up smoking for a good while but there was something about having a few beers at the pub that weakened his resolve. He stood outside in the bleak area of the pub garden where smokers were banished to and cupped his hand to shield the match, his head bent to hold the cigarette to its flame.

A bright yellow flicker in the distance drew his eye upwards from the warm red glow of the cigarette and he took a couple of long draws, shaking out the match as he scanned the horizon. He was rewarded with another golden flash that reflected on the black mirrored surface of the loch and he squinted to try and make out the vague shape soaring through the air. It was barely more than a patch of slightly darker darkness - apart from the occasional burst of fire - but it seemed to land gracefully and settle on the roof of the keep that stood in splendid isolation on its island. In the quiet of the evening he thought he could hear the scraping of talons on slate echo faintly across the water. 

"She's back?" he asked his companion with some surprise.

"Aye, a few days ago," the older man nodded sagely and sucked deeply on a bent roll up. 

"I thought she'd gone for good...?"

"Ach, seven years is nothing. I recall my grannie telling me she was gone nigh on fifty years once. Time disnae matter to the likes of her. "

John breathed nicotine in silence for a minute or two, still staring out at the keep. Whatever it was - and he knew full well what it was but he didn't like to put a name to it - seemed to have disappeared. 

"Maybe it would be better if she stayed away," he murmured almost to himself because he knew he'd get a lecture. 

"Did your mammy no explain things properly?" The older man was clearly irritated and he flicked his ash in a pointed manner.

”Aye but..."

"No buts about it, how do you think a town this size with no industry manages to survive? How can this pub keep going when there are barely more than six folk in of a weekend? How does that shop keep afloat when every other village shop in the highlands has died on its arse? Have you never noticed how the developers and the motorways have never set foot here? Do you no think it strange that when that auld fool Cameron let his chimney catch fire and burn his damned house down that he suddenly inherited a fortune from a relative he didn't know he had?"

”....well...." 

"This village is protected, laddie. We're protected. Show some respect."

_

 

Talons scrabbled against the tiles until they found a familiar hold and the dragon perched for a moment, balanced with its great wings outstretched and its silhouette outlined against the full moon. Then it slid down the roof in a less dramatic and more playful fashion, dislodging slate until it tipped off the guttering and the witch made an elegant barefoot landing on the granite ramparts.

Despite the relative warmth of the summer night the wind still had a bite to it, especially up here. Not that she minded, the cold didn't bother her much and the view down the length of the loch with its spine of mountains all bathed in the silver light of the moon was unparalleled. She soaked it up for a moment.

It was good to be home.

_

 

"Is that an eyeball?'

Morgan growled in disapproval but she was feeling too pleasantly full and lazy to stir from her nest of sofa cushions so she just watched the raven peck industriously at the gelatinous orb, her complaints ignored as it left nasty stains on her rug.

Her antique rug.

Or rather - a rug of great antiquity. Persian. Some might even have gone so far to have said it was threadbare in places though not to her face of course. It was mostly thick and very well-made and sometimes she liked to stand on it and curl her toes into the familiar bald patches and feel the way they fitted her feet.

It was a rug, in all honesty, that had probably seen much worse things in its long lifetime and had much nastier substances encrusted in its fibres than a bit of eyeball goo.

"You can't swallow it all at once you...oh...you can. My mistake. Make sure you get that bit of...viscera...that you've left there. Good boy. " 

The harsh bell of the telephone cut through the cosy domesticity and the witch had been away so long she took a moment to remember where the thing was. She identified the pile of books and ancient manuscripts in the far corner as the most likely hiding place but continued to stare at it without moving for a while longer until it became apparent that the caller was not going to give up and she roused herself with a reluctant groan.

A bit of digging finally located the vintage, bakelite monstrosity.

"What? .... _What..?_ Campbell is this you?.....What?....no, no more than normal, they're all covered by the usual subsidy - Donald is well paid for it....well...who's sheep were they then?....McClary?.....from all the way over the ridge?....Yes, I remember his father, Thomas, good man, never used to say much but he knew the score.....  Well, I hardly think I'm to blame if they've strayed, how am I supposed to tell the difference? ....Eh, red marker spray - blue marker spray - it all looks grey from up in the air. He should keep a better eye on them.... _Alright_ , stop nagging you sound like an old woman. Yes yes he'll be compensated, I'll sort it out in the morning. Get back to your pipe you silly old sod."

Morgan let out a deep sigh but it was softened by the small curve at the corners of her lips - nothing much changed in the highlands and that was one of the many reasons that anchored her to this place.

No sooner had she let the heavy receiver drop back into its cradle but a knock at the door followed.

"Oh come the fuck on, the tide's in! Who the hell crosses the loch at this time of night for a bunch of fucking sheep?" The witch gave the raven a hard stare as if it might be his fault but he had found a snail creeping up one of the walls and was busy smashing it against the flagstones.  She stomped through the keep as grumpily as she could with bare feet and pulled at the heavy, oak door which swung open with a surprising smoothness and ease.

Whatever she'd been expecting it wasn't the figure that graced her doorstep. Silver hair, eye patch, dressed in rags rather than the fine court attire she'd always seen him in but the outward appearance was all too familiar.

Morgan's mouth opened slightly, and her heart contracted itself into a frantic drum that beat a haphazard rythmn in her chest but something wasn't quite... _right_.

_No....._

Something wasn't quite _wrong_  - it wasn't wrong in the way that it should have been wrong.  Her eyes narrowed but it was her other senses - the extra ones - that were looking far beyond the visible exterior to locate the truth - the truth that sometimes, things are _exactly_ what they seem and that can be a real disappointment.

"What the hell are _you_ doing on my doorstep?" She pointed an accusing finger at Odin - the real Odin - not Loki in disguise.  "Your sons went searching for you."

The old man was barely taller than her; barrel chested and king-like despite his ragged clothing whipped by the merciless highland wind.

”Loki was right," he said, "you see things very clearly." He had a quiet manner and a soft lilt to his voice that seemed unfazed by her attitude and belied his fearsome reputation. "May I come in, I am an old man and I have travelled far?" 

Feeling weirdly wrong-footed in her own home somehow, the witch found herself standing aside. She trotted after him down the hall to the sitting room like an anxious maid servant.

"How did you even _find_ this place - it's shrouded from uninvited guests?" _With pretty powerful magic, old man, even if I do say so myself_.

"There is much we cannot know nor understand until the time is right but sometimes those we love lead the way. Hello old friend, it is good to see you."

The obscurity of his meaning suddenly made Loki's own, infuriating tendency to cryptic statements become just that little bit more understandable and she bit back a retort, distracted by the raven which was bouncing in excitement across her ancient and beloved carpet. It made a screeching noise, which she had come to learn was affection, then flew up onto Odin's outstretched arm and chattered happily.

Her hands knuckled on her hips as she shot a betrayed look at Huginn. "I take it the Hardy Brothers found you then - so where are they?" 

"You are concerned for their well-being." Odin was not looking at her, he appeared to be communing silently with the bird. 

"Aren't you?"

"Both my sons are strong and resourceful, they will find their way back..."

" _Back_? What the hell happened to him... them?" She knew she was starting to sound shrill and cleared her throat.

"It is complicated, the details are not important."

" _Don't_ ...don't you _dare_ patronise me," she sputtered, lacking the patience for any more of this bullshit. Her finger jabbed in Odin's face. "I'm _older_ than both your sons, I'm _clever_ and you wouldn't _be_ here if you weren't trying to drag me into whatever the fuck this mess is so the fucking details _are_ important and I want to fucking hear them..." 

She was gratified that her outburst had gotten his full attention but it was followed by a long silence during which Morgan felt she came as close to being smited by a god as it was possible to come and still be alive. 

"I believe that you might call it a temporal distortion, " he said finally. 

"A temporal... _time_? He's travelled through _time_...?"

"Time and distance - maybe - yes. The universe is complicated, our perception of things is not always accurate."

"Who..?" Morgan ignored the verbal fog and focused on the key point,  "who is strong enough to do that?"

"Hela. She has escaped her own realm and invaded Asgard. The Realm Eternal is under siege once again with no one to stop it."

"That isn't right, from what I've read, Hela does not have anything like that kind of power." Morgan's mind was racing 

"...from what you've read?" Odin cocked his head in curiosity.

"You have a very good library in the palace," she shrugged. 

"Hm." He seemed to look at her with a little more respect. "You are right, Hela's power has traditionally been of a different nature but she has taken possession of a cloak that has greatly enhanced her capabilities."

"So who gave the death bitch a jump start?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question."

"Thanos?" Morgan's jaw tightened and her mouth spread into a grim line. "That bastard is up to something huge..."

"Thanos?" Odin repeated the name and focused a sharp, blue eye on her in surprise. "What can you possibly know of the Mad Titan?"

"Well...wait...you _don't_ think it was Thanos? Who do you think...oh come on," realisation dawned, "...you think _Loki_ is behind whatever this is?"

A volcano of emotions stirred deep within her - a volatile lava bubbling through her veins.

"He struck a bargain with the Queen of Hel in return for his own life - how can we know what the price was or where his true loyalty lies?"

"No no _no_ ...I mean yes, yes he struck a deal but not for _that_ ... he wouldn't sell Asgard down the river, he wouldn't destroy his city! He wanted to be a good king - no matter what it cost him. Why on earth would you ask him to take the throne if you didn't trust him?" 

"I wanted to give him a chance to prove himself..."

For the first time Morgan thought that the old king seemed unsure of himself.

"And so he did," she insisted, "he ruled well, he saved Asgard from Surtr - he was trying so hard despite everything that Thanos had done to him...why do you doubt him now?"

"What did Thanos do to him?"

"Did _none_ of you ever ask him what happened after he fell into the void? _Not a singl_ e  _one of you...?"_ Her voice was rising but she didn't care _._ "I'd stake my sword that Thanos gave Hela that damn cloak - now I think about it that bastard was probably responsible for Surtr breaking free. He's behind this not Loki and you are blind in more than one eye, old man, if you cannot see how he worships you. You are his hero - everything that he does he does to get your attention - to get your _approval_ yet you never thought to find out..."

"I asked him..."

The deep and evident pain in the old man's quiet words stopped her in her tracks, her mouth open.

"I asked him but he told me nothing of Thanos..."

She swallowed. "What _did_ he tell you then?" 

"He told me only about the woman who had tried to call him back from the darkness. He told me only about you."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone that spotted the reference - it was a little homage to a great writer and a friend and was done with full permission of the author :)


	21. Chapter 21

_The woman who tried to pull him back from the darkness_

Morgan's fingers dragged furrows through her hair.

_Oh Loki_

"I tried, " she acknowledged, "but I failed. Then Thanos took that darkness and made it something far far worse..."  

She looked at Odin who seemed to be waiting for the rest. 

"The Mad Titan is not known for his gentleness." His tone contained explicit an invitation to continue.

"No he isn't. " Something she knew only too well herself. "But it's not my story to tell." She almost felt apologetic; a deep pain reflected in Odin's one good eye. Loss. Regret maybe? But Loki was as stubborn and hardheaded as his adopted father and she wondered if this mess could ever be fixed. An odd mix of emotions stirred in her - unexpected pity for the tired old man who stood before her, frustration for both father and son and a knot that tightened in her stomach and reminded her of her own family that she had lost so long ago.  

"He wouldn't do this ..." she said for the sake of something to say, "he wouldn't release Hela, not deliberately. He wanted to be a good king..."

The one eyed God drew a long breath and gave her a nod.

"And yet she is free, so, we must find a way to subdue her or end her. So now you know why I am here. Asgard will need you again, it is, after all, what you were born for."

" _Jesus_ , did that big mouth Tivan tell _everyone_?" The change of subject provided a welcome release of tension. 

"I fear he was excited by his discovery." Odin chuckled 

"Did he also tell you my...heritage...is pretty diluted and ...untested... in... _that_ respect. I may not be of any use."

"Does that mean you should not try?"

"Is it that bad?"

"Asgard lies in ruins. All worlds are under threat. The end of all things hangs like a shadow over us all if Hela cannot be beaten and I fear even both my sons combined may not be a match for her. You may be the only weapon we have to stand between the nine realms and Ragnarok."

 _So I'm a weapon now? Marginally better than being an abomination I suppose_. 

"Fine. Fine." She raised her hands in apparent reluctant consent but the truth was if Loki were facing Hela she wanted to be nowhere else but by his side. "How do we get there?"

"Hela has control of the bifrost and I'm afraid I cannot summon enough power to send you."

The old man was infuriatingly complacent about that particular bombshell but he was staring at her with an expectant expression on his face and she knew exactly what he was going to suggest.

"No! no _no. No!_  It's highly unreliable and it's exactly how I ended up halfway across the universe in the first place!"

"Then you need to concentrate harder."

"It's not that easy..." she sputtered in fury, "...the fire has to be really hot and I could end up literally anywhere."

"I can, perhaps, help in that respect, whilst I cannot summon the energy for your journey I may be able to exert some influence over your direction. " Odin conceded and Morgan's lips set in a thin line. 

"I can't believe I'm going to do this. " She muttered. "Fine. Then I need to stoke up the fire with some suitable fuel and the best place to try it would be at the standing stones but if I end up in the arse end of nowhere your 'Asgard's last hope' speech will have been completely wasted."

"Pity. It was a good speech."

....

 

The ancient stone circle framed a magnificent view of the mountains and the loch far below and the dragon turned her elegant, wedge shaped head towards it as if she were taking one last look at a place she might never see again.

She burped gently.

That last shopping trolley might have been just a little too much but she hadn't wanted to take any chances. Her fire needed to be _hot_ for interdimensional travel and even then she had no idea if it would work so she'd ingested the equivalent of a small quarry in scrap metal just to be sure. 

 _Something_ was definitely going to happen judging by the rumbling deep in her bowels and she could only hope that it would erupt from the right end.

Morgan looked back at Odin who was waiting patiently for her to finish saying her goodbyes. She curled her lips, baring several rows of vicious looking teeth to indicate she was ready then looked through the stones again. This time she focused on the space beneath the largest lintel where, if you had the sight, the doorway waited for those with the power to open it. 

With a few short strides she launched past the stones and out into the air, her wings unfolded and strong, measured beats took her upward and around in a full circle a few times until she had a good head of speed built up. Her final turn brought her straight on to the trilithon four hundred feet away and her speed never faltered as she dove towards it, wings now flattened against her sides. 

The boiling lava in her gut finally reached critical mass and a white hot flame blazed from her mouth, scorching through the stone archway only seconds before her trajectory followed suit. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Odin raise his hands then her world erupted into howling, tearing agony. For a moment she thought she was going to disintegrate - her extreme velocity seemed to want to pull her apart and the dragon shape was lost in the slipstream as she spun out of control. 

 

 

It was an inelegant landing. Morgan burst from the agonising dark into golden light and hit the ground hard and fast with no time to even try and shift back to the dragon to save herself. She felt her right shoulder and arm shatter then crush further into smithereens as she rolled, screaming, until her momentum finally brought her to a sliding halt in the dirt. 

"Hello Darling."

Morgan forced her eyes open and blinked against the dust and grit. Her gaze travelled up the full, considerable, length of a leather-clad body to Loki's face peering down at her in consternation. 

"I managed to slow you down a little. That was quite an entrance."

 

 

 

 


	22. Chapter 22

 

"You call that slowing me down...?” Morgan gargled as she hawked up a mouthful of gravel.

Loki crouched in front of her, his face creased into that one-eyed squint that usually meant heavy sarcasm - or some light verbal abuse at the very least - was imminent.

"Had I not intervened you would now be spread all over the side of that rock face, " he said evenly and gestured at the sheer mountain wall that loomed over them, "but it would have taken far too long to scrape you up and put you back together and I'm afraid we just don't have the time for that. You can thank me later."

"It's almost as if you knew I was coming...?"

"I did."

"Odin...?"

"Indeed."

"You are a lot more like your father than you care to admit, do you know that?"

"I fail to see your logic but enough of this small talk, we should make haste and return to the others, it is not safe to be outside."

Now that she'd had a few seconds to draw breath and look around her, it was apparent that Odin had not been exaggerating, Asgard was in chaos and ruins. What was left of the city was mostly on fire and what wasn't on fire ripped a jagged, desolate outline through the blue, Asgardian sky. The taste of ash, the smell of burning and the familiar rumble of a war in progress drifted on the wind, filling her senses and tearing through her soul.

"I've barely been gone a week, look at the mess!" She was trying to keep her mind off her physical pain but the plight of the golden city somehow caused her a different kind of hurt and she dragged her gaze back to Loki, only to see her torment reflected in his eyes. Asgard had only been her home a short while but she knew if this were happening to her village in Scotland, she would have the same look on her face that Loki wore now.

"It does seem to have gone south without you, I can't deny it, " he quipped breezily, "but now you're here we may have a way to redress the balance. How long will that take to heal?" He reached towards her ravaged and misshapened limb but could not find a place to touch. Most of her right side was raw where the skin had been scraped off and shards of bone were sticking out of her arm at odd angles.

"A couple of hours - maybe more - I'm a little burned out." 

"Then we will just have to keep her occupied until you're ready to do your thing." His hand remained extended to her in offering.

"Like I told your father - and we need to have a _long_ conversation about him by the way - I've never actually done the thing...we have no idea if I even _can_ do the thing..."

Loki steadied himself as she gripped his arm with her good hand and raised them both to their feet. "Unfortunately, we don't seem to have any other option."

"It didn't work with Surtr, you had to punch him through the head," Morgan reminded him, the exasperation showing in her voice but he just responded with a shrug.

"Technically not a god besides, did you _actually_ try with Surtr?"

"I don't even know how to try. I have no idea what I'd need to do to..."

"I'm sure you can wing it, you're good at that."

His fingers laced through hers and he paused for a second then bent his head down to kiss her. The sudden punch of her heart against her ribcage reminded Morgan just how much she'd missed him. It seemed Loki had  missed her too as he pulled her closer and a bass note of pleasure rumbled in his chest. She leaned into him, the hard, muscular outline of his body beneath the leather made her think wistfully - but briefly - of sex before the pain rushed back in to drive those thoughts away and pull her out of the moment.

"You look well though," she observed between quick, shallow breaths her nails digging into his palm until the spasm subsided. "You look as if you've been enjoying yourself." It was true, chaos suited him. It seemed to flow in his wake like a thousand spellbound rats swarming after their charismatic piper. "I like the outfit, when did you get time to go shopping?"

”The fate of the nine realms hangs in the balance and you want to swap fashion tips?" He kept her hand securely in his, giving it a squeeze it to let her know she could hang on as tightly as she needed to before steering her in the direction he wanted to go.

"I'm feeling a little under dressed..."

"Naked is fine."

..................................

 

The others, it turned out, were holed up in the barracks. Its military occupants had presumably been routed by Hela's army, the stores ransacked of any weaponry and the building half demolished then abandoned. 

They found Thor pacing up and down in the old mess hall with a rumpled, dark haired man poking at a small fire in the hearth - both looked bruised and battered and both stopped what they were doing to appraise the new arrivals. 

"Hi." The human raised a hand in greeting. "Who's this?" 

"This is Loki's witch girlfriend." Thor's scowl suggested he hadn't warmed up to her in the intervening week since they'd last met. "Witch, this is Doctor Bruce Banner." 

"Your name is Witch?" Doctor Banner raised his eyebrows. He had a soft tone and unassuming manner and seemed to Morgan to be an unlikely ally - she assumed he was a bystander somehow caught up in the invasion.

"It's Morgan. I'm afraid Thor doesn't approve of me."

"I'm indifferent, really." The big blonde feigned a lack of interest.

"Your face would suggest otherwise."

"Well, it's true, I have weightier things on my mind than you, witch. Do not flatter yourself nor presume to comment on my countenance."

"I can't help but comment, your countenance looks like a smacked arse with a hedgehog hat. Who did cut your hair by the way, can you get a refund?"

"Okay, maybe we can do the pleasantries later - I thought she was our secret weapon?" Banner cut in giving Loki a suspicious and distrustful look. "She looks like hell, no offence, Morgan."

"None taken. I _feel_ like hell." Morgan confirmed and adjusted Loki's borrowed cloak as best she could with one good arm. 

"So we're screwed right?" Banner turned to Thor. 

"Your lack of faith offends me, " Loki smoothed with a show of confidence that Morgan was pretty sure he did not actually feel. "And I fail to see any of you offering any viable alternative. Given your failure to breach Hela's defences and our current, strategic position we have little choice but to..."

Loki did not finish. The door burst open and a tall, dark woman in Asgardian armour strode unceremoniously into their midst, her striking face set in a grave expression that did not bode well. She gave Morgan the briefest of glances before speaking directly and urgently to Thor.

"There is no time left - Hela is on the move and she is making for the palace. We cannot let her breach its walls and we cannot let her take the Tesseract. We must make our stand, Thor. Our hand is being forced."

 

 

 

 


	23. Chapter 23

"She isn't ready..."

Morgan was too tired to argue and besides, Loki was right, she didn't think she could even shapeshift never mind fight. Something in the crossover between worlds had messed with her processes or drained her more than either she or Odin had expected and she wasn't healing anywhere near as quickly as she normally did.

The group had made the move from the barracks and found a way iniside the palace - Loki knew a secret entrance to pretty much everywhere it seemed. At Thor’s behest the female warrior had gone to make a sweep of the building and ensure there were no civilians left inside. The three men were discussing strategy and Morgan leaned in a crumpled heap against a wall.

Her arm was still barely more than a misshapen lump of flesh and much of her skin still missing and raw, neither were the exposed bones righting themselves the way they should and, in the end, Loki had had to push them back manually into something closer to their normal position. Both Banner and Thor had seemed quite nauseated by that process and Morgan’s bloodcurdling screams that had gone with it.

Banner still looked a little pale.

Thor’s face was grave, he was arguing strategy with Loki and his conflict was very evident in his eyes; as much as he wanted to, he didn't trust his brother - Morgan even less so. His annoyance was amplified by Loki's insistence that Morgan was their answer to everything but he was, finally, listening to advice for want of any other option.

"We can't defeat Hela alone, we've already tried that - and failed. " Loki waved a hand in the general direction of the ruined city. "We have no option but to act as a diversion, keep her occupied and out of the palace for as long as we can until Morgan can shift back into the dragon and join us."

"As much as I hate to agree with your brother, what other choice do we have, really? " Banner interjected. "We've got nothing else up our sleeves so either way, we have to face her head on ..."

"And if the witch cannot do what she needs to do?" Thor shot a dark look at Morgan who lacked the energy to do anything more than raise a middle finger in response.

"Then Hela gets the Tesseract and everything else in the vault and we all die with honour in battle. _That_ at least should please you, brother," Loki shrugged, exasperated.

Despite the arguing it seemed pretty inevitable that it would go the way Loki wanted but something about the whole situation had been bothering Morgan for a while and she finally managed to formulate it into a question.

"Why isn’t she in here already?".

"What?" Thor asked almost dismissively as he exchanged a look with Banner but it was Loki’s reaction that Morgan was watching closely.

"She’s already invaded Asgard and defeated most of your army, so why hasn’t she already taken the palace?" She added, her eyes not straying from Loki’s pale face.

The question was working it’s way through Thor’s thought processes but Banner was much faster and it seemed that he had already arrived at the same conclusion that had already occurred to Morgan.

Everyone looked at Loki who lifted his chin lifted slightly and shrugged, hands spread out, palms up, in front of him. "It was part of the bond that Odin laid on her when she was banished, aeons back. A little contingency plan I suppose. As long as the king of Asgard lives she can’t enter the palace. "

There was a short silence as that was digested. 

"But which one of you is it?" Morgan asked. 

"What?"

"What?"

The Odinson brothers spoke in unison.

"Which one of you is technically the _king_ that the bond hinges on? Thor might have been the heir but he declined it and Odin passed the throne to Loki..."

"I am, of course." Thor looked surprised it was even in question. "Loki was ruling as Odin so he was never actually king."

"But _Odin_ knew it was Loki when he handed it over. It could even still _be_ Odin ..." Morgan speculated, "my point is, does _she_ know?"

"Hela must have tried to get in to the palace while we were on Sakaar, I’d guess she has a good idea there’s a bond on it by now." Loki’s eyes narrowed to a shrewd expression and flicked between Thor and Morgan as if this were the first time he’d given the question consideration. 

"So she’s not just going to send you both off into space again this time, she’s going to try and kill at least one of you," Morgan pointed out, "and nobody knows which one of you _really_ needs to stay alive to keep her out of the palace and away from The Tesseract."

"Which just makes _you_ all the more important." Loki pointed at Morgan and his manner implied the decision had made itself - it seemed Thor had finally agreed with him. 

"I would rather we all lived and worked together to restore this realm and the lives of its people but it irks me to put our trust in a strategy so flimsy." The God of Thunder sighed, part resignation and part something Morgan couldn’t quite put her finger on. He turned to look out of the window, an odd look on his face.

"We have to trust that the Elders knew what they were doing and hope that the old magic is not all lost, " Loki had softened his voice, his own expression curious as he watched his brother."

"Fine. Have it your way. We have no time left to argue anyway. " Thor pointed outside. "Hela is here."

 

_________________

 

 " _Well_ , here we are again." Hela grinned, her hands resting in her narrow hips. "My darling baby brothers, you look as if you’re _angry_ with me?"

 

_Brothers? Well shit..._

Morgan blinked in surprise from her vantage point by the window. A tingling in the fingers on the ruined side of her body made her look down. It still looked like raw meat but there was something starting to,pump through her veins that hadn’t been there before.

 

"Not angry, Hela, just tired of your bullshit."

Thor was flanked by Loki on one side and Banner on the other and though she couldn’t see his face, Morgan could hear the bravado ringing in his voice. He seemed to have grown taller and broader too, in fact both he and Loki had taken on an air of physicality and menace that would have made anyone nervous and Banner’s small, crumpled figure seemed out of place next to them. Morgan figured there must be more to him than met than eye as there was a slight sense of reluctance about him but no fear that she could detect.

_Thats going to be an interesting reveal._

"As heartwarming as these little family reunions are," Hela drawled and strutted a few paces forward, "I’m getting a little bored with them I’m afraid. I hate to be the special snowflake, " she shot a loaded look at Loki, "but it feels like you _just_ don’t want me here. All I wanted to do was get a few things from the old homestead but it seems I can’t get _in_. Odin is a wily old goat so I’m just going to have to _kill_ you both and then the one-eyed bastard - just to be sure, you understand."

"Do you really think it’s going to be so easy?" Thor snorted, his fists balling at his sides. 

"Yeeess, yes I do..." Hela’s head tilted to one side and she raised a hand - as if signalling to someone they couldn’t see.

Loki heard it first, his shoulders half-turning towards the rumble in the distance. A dark shape was hurtling towards them at speed, hunched but huge as it raced from out of the wreckage of Asgard in a deadly run.

"I guess this one is mine, " Banner straightened up and then his shape morphed beyond all expectation.

  

 _Holy fuck, I bet that hurts_....The witch had never seen anything quite like it - he didn't appear to be shapeshifting - it was more organic than that and she bet it hurt like hell. 

The pumping in her blood was getting stronger - louder.

 _Yggdrasil_ \- she whispered to herself

 

The giant, green hulk of Banner roared as it met the huge wolf head on. The force of impact shook the ground around them and the pair rolled back the way the wolf had come, locked in deadly combat until they disappeared in a cloud of dust amongst the skeletons of Asgard’s architecture.

 

Hela rolled her eyes and let out a deep, exasperated sigh. "Oh for Valhalla’s _sake_ , if you want something done do it yourself. "

And then all hell literally broke loose.

Hela launched a blast of power at each Odinson - Loki fell to his knees, countering with an attack of his own, hands up and muscles straining as he pushed back against the energy threatening to consume him. But at the same time, Thor had dived to his right - taking the full brunt of the other blast in his stomach and crashing to the floor as he tried in vain to rise up against it.

 

_What kind of move was that?_

Morgan wondered what the hell Thor had been trying to do but as she watched him crawl hopelessly towards Hela as if making a play to get her attention it suddenly clicked

 _He thinks Loki is the rightful king! He’s trying to protect him_! 

  

The effort was ripped across Loki’s face but he _was_ holding her back and it was making the Goddess of Death very angry. She clenched the gist of the hand pointing at Thor and then spread her fingers wide.

Thor was lifted from the ground and smashed viciously against the wall of the palace, buried beneath an avalanche of falling masonry and Loki was alone, on his knees - contorted in agony and his shoulders shaking as he rose - painfully slowly - to his feet.

But Hela had regained her cockiness and now she had all her power focused on him it seemed that she’d simply been toying with them both. Her sly grin crept back across her face. 

"Is that all you’ve got? Thunder boy went down like wet paper bag but I might just take my time with you..."

She brought her other hand around to focus both at him and sent a second blast of power that pushed Loki back to his knees with cry. 

"No..." he grunted with the effort of speaking, "...that’s not all we’ve got, we brought a little surprise for you..."

 

 

The pumping in Morgan’s blood had become a rushing of power, surging through her from the ground beneath her feet and pounding in her ears. Her body was still raw but it was now or never.

Loki’s cloak slipped to the ground.

 

 

"Oh how _sweet_! What is it? That little Valkyrie? I’m afraid I saw her go down beneath the wolf earlier so the surprise might be a little spoiled..."

Morgan saw Helas' fingers flex and Loki wince in agony.

"Not the valkyrie..." he groaned through clenched teeth, he was getting weaker - he couldn’t hold out much longer but he’d seen a movement out of the corner of his eye. 

 

Hela looked up at Morgan's small naked figure stepping out from the shadows in the doorway.

"What is _this_?" The goddess of death snorted in derision. 

"Your Nemesis, I think .." Loki replied, his knees spreading as he was worn down by the constant onslaught of Hela’s power but a smile was spreading across his face. 

" _This_?" Hela laughed in disbelief. "Oh I’m _so_ insulted - how _typical_ of an Asgardian to bring a _human_ to a Galactic War."

"I didn't..." Loki lifted his head, his eyes glittering even as his power started to stutter and fail,  "...I brought a Sentinel."

 

That word - Sentinel - seemed to have an extraordinary effect as Hela was distracted enough that her attack on Loki pulled back almost unconsciously. "There is no such thing, they are all dead."

 

"Get away from him you _bitch_..." Morgan hissed as Yggdrasil surged within her, giving her the strength she’d been lacking and allowing the dragon to finally show itself. It rose  up, towering over both Asgardians - black scales glistening in the golden sunlight and its teeth baring in shark like satisfaction as Hela staggered back and her eyes widened. 

 

Hela forgot about Loki, both her hands pointed at the impossible creature that had moved in front of him and fired everything she had in its direction.

 

Morgan hadn't really known how it would work or what she would need to do - was there a special God Destroying mode that she needed to switch on? No one had made any suggestions. They’d all just nodded sagely and looked mysteriously all-knowing .. _.’ah, yes, you are a sentinel_ ’ - but no one had told her _how_ to do it. S she just did what she knew how to do and met Hela’s onslaught with a roar of dragon flame that melted the on-coming blast with an effect that was a lot like burning celluloid. 

Hela's magic curled and died, it’s embers melting into the wind against the bright hot flame and her chin snapped up in shock and confusion until she’d gathered her senses enough to try again. It was no use - she was sent staggering backwards from the heat, overbalancing and hitting the ground hard on her back.

The dragon couldn’t fly - one of its heavy leather wings was misshapen and damaged but it advanced with purpose, its talons scraping against stone as it bore down on the Goddess of Death and a sulphur yellow eye narrowed and focused. 

Thor and Loki’s sister stared up at the Sentinel in horror, her own death reflected in its depths just as Morgan’s final flame burst forth and engulfed her before she even had time to scream. Powerful jaws snapped and tore at the twitching victim that it had caught up in its claws but it was intent on its work and ignored all else until it had finished its meal.

 

 

 Loki had propped himself up on one elbow and was unable to tear his eyes away until he felt a strong hand under his arm, lifting him to his feet. Thor was grey with masonry dust, bloody and skinned in places but his morbid fascination was just as strong as his brother’s. 

"I apologise, you were right..." Thor murmured, also staring at the grisly spectacle. "That was very ...quick...I had thought there would be more of a battle."

"Hm. When the elders decided the Gods needed a deterrent they clearly didn’t mess around..." 

Both Asgardians winced as another burnt portion was torn away and devoured and Thor finally turned away, giving Loki a couple of affectionate slaps on the back. 

"I’m sure you’ll both be very happy together."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

 

*********

 

***billions of years ago - when the universe was still young***

 

" _What is it you stare at, brother?"_

_"The universe. It is filling, growing, far beyond anything we imagined."_

_"It is. Does that worry you?"_

_"I see corruption and an ugliness of spirit. Beings raising themselves as gods above others simply to crush them."_

_"Such is the nature of life and the balance of the universe. There must be evil so that there can be good also. There must be Gods as there must be the weak and vulnerable."_

_"So wise already brother?"_

_"I observe them too. It is the same in all races."_

_"Yet_ we _live in peace without either._ We _do not seek to worship or be worshipped?"_

_"But we were born at the beginning of everything - the universe is different now and its children must adapt."_

_"But what if the powerful cannot be destroyed? Where is your balance then?"_

_"The weak often find a way."_

_"And yet ...sometimes they don't. Sometimes it is not possible. I have already seen this. So much precious life lost."_

_"What are you suggesting? That we police them? That we take sides?"_

_"Not us. That is not our purpose but we could equal the playing field. Everything must have an end."_

_"Us too?"_

_"Yes, us too."_

_”You are talking about creation. But what creature could we make to be trusted with such power and not be corrupted in turn?"_

_"It must be sentient and noble. Neither good nor evil but perfectly balanced between dark and light, that it may stand in judgment of the Gods - of us all - when the time comes."_

_"You ask much - is it possible to create such a thing? It would require enormous skill."_

_"We have time."_

_********_

 

 

 

The palace was vast, it had acres of room and most of the lower chambers were now occupied by refugees. the Great Hall had become a social area for people to meet, to care for the children and to share their stories. It teemed with life - the stone floors and golden walls that usually only echoed with the booted footsteps of the guards or servants, were now filled with those families that had lost their homes in the war going about the business of rebuilding their lives.

Asgardians, it turned out, were extremely resilient and practical and they had needed little guidance to organise themselves. The kitchens were shared, working parties organised and crèches on rotation so that everyone contributed and no skills were wasted.

Loki felt a surge of warmth in his soul every time he walked through it - this place was more alive than it had ever been in all the years that he had spent growing up here and he knew the tides of change were lapping at Asgard’s shores. Things couldn’t stay the same - not now - not after all that had happened - he’d seen that same thought in his brother’s eyes too - something big was about to happen to the Realm Eternal - something big but very good.

A smile crept over his face as he spotted Volstagg with his charge of children - clearly the big warrior’s day for crèche duty. He had a dozen or so small Asgardians of varying sizes all crammed onto the golden throne and was entertaining them with some story or other that had the kids giggling helplessly. Vilstagg it had turned out wasn’t much of a builder but children loved him. 

A small tug at Loki’s sleeve distracted him he looked down to his right to see a dark haired boy holding out an apple.

"Mama said to give this to you and say thank you. She said I wasn’t supposed to ask if Thor’s hammer was really broken but I don’t see why not. Is it broken?"

"Yes, it’s broken but it’s okay." Loki took the apple and gave the boy his best and widest smile to reassure him - then toned it down a bit when the child took a step backwards in alarm. "It turned out that he didn’t really need the hammer to be strong after all. He can be strong without it."

The boy seemed to think about that for a moment. "Like a blanky...?"

"Pardon?"

"Like my blue blanky that makes me not afraid of the dark," he huffed with a slight impatience that implied Loki was clearly an imbecile, uneducated in blanky lore. "Mama says one day I won’t need it to not be afraid."

"Yes. _Exactly_ like your blue blanky. That’s a very good analogy and shall tell Thor about it as soon as I see him."

"Okay."

The child seemed satisfied and with his store of conversation depleted, he turned to trot off back to his mama.

"Thanks for the apple," Loki called after him, getting a brief wave in return before the boy disappeared back into the crowd.

 

 

 .......

 

"Loki! You’re back. Where have you been?" Thor’s voice boomed across the room as Loki opened to the door to the small set of chambers they were occupying.

"I’ve been working on the re-builds and then I went to see, Morgan." Loki bit into his apple which was satisfyingly crunchy and fresh.

”Ah of course. How is she?" 

"She still seems to be in a lot of pain. It’ll be a while yet."

"Shouldn’t you be by her side then, supporting her ... or something?"

"She’s got indigestion, Thor, there’s nothing to be done except to let nature take its course and she really doesn’t want me around for _that_. Let’s allow the lady _some_ dignity, hm." 

Thor tried to rearrange his face into something that didn’t resemble disgust, failed and turned his attention back to the maps and books that were strewn across the table in front of him.

"Is she still...?" 

Loki hadn’t noticed Banner was even in the room until the man spoke and made a sort of claw like gesture with his hands.

"Yes she’s still ..." Loki made a similar gesture with a slight roll of his eyes. "She tried changing back but I don’t think her human digestive system can cope at all, she’s just got to dragon it out. She’s made a nest up near the Idavoll Valley, she’ll come back when she’s ready."

Banner nodded and Thor tried hard to look like he cared but empathy really wasn’t his forte. It was a mark of how things had changed that he tried at all though and Loki rewarded him for that with a half-smile. 

"I still can’t process that...dragons were ... _are_...real, huh? And they were Sentinels? That’s...what is that?" Banner toyed with his own glass of wine, glancing from one brother to the other. 

"Has Thor not explained it to you?" Loki couldn’t resist a little dig as he took a seat at the table. 

"Yeh, I don’t think he really knows..."

"Sentinels are dragons, I explained that! What more do you _need_ to know...?" The God of Thunder still had enough bluster still in him to look indignant at Banner’s accusation.

"You don’t recall our history lessons with Bragi, brother? We spent at least a day in the library researching this very topic, oh that’s _right_... you were busy in the cookery section with that little blonde librarian. "

"Well you were always the better scholar, Loki, but the girls mostly preferred my strength. Even the librarians."

"Yes...for a little while, then they’d get bored and come looking for someone who could ...make them come. I recall that little librarian very well, she was a screamer."

" _Guys_...please..." Banner’s face had screwed up in horror. "Please just tell me about the Sentinels..."

 "The Sentinels were a race created by The Elders aeons ago," Loki answered. "There were ..."

"Wait. The _Elders_? Who are they?"

"The first beings to emerge after the universe came into existence."

"The first _what_ now?"

"The first beings in the universe. They evolved separately I believe but came to regard each other as siblings over time due to their vast age. As other races evolved the Elders became concerned about The Balance. Gods and Idols were emerging and the Elders were worried that the balance was becoming uneven. So they created a race who did not worship nor wish to be worshipped but who would be strong enough to defeat the gods should the need arise. A sort of deterrent if you like. There never many of them - the Sentinels I mean - but they could travel between worlds."

"This is too much - this - you _can’t_ create a race - of _dragons_! How can any of this be _real_...?" Banner topped up his wine and tugged absent-mindedly at his hair. "I think my head is going to explode. What happened to them? Why are there none Left?"

"No one knows. Perhaps the universe just became too complicated? Some say they drifted beyond the bounds of the universe, and others that the Elders grew too old and forgot about them, leaving them to fade into dreams and memories. I can direct you to several books that you may find interesting," Loki offered, sipping at his own wine. "it might all be easier to process that way." 

"Maybe, thank you. "

Banner and Loki both stared at each other, drinking their wine in silence as Thor remained with his head buried in his research.  

Then Banner spoke again.

"So - in theory she could kill both of you?"

"Yes, she could."

Loki had followed every step of Banner’s train of thought, it was written all over his face and Loki found him an interesting dichotomy. On the one hand the reluctant scientist who wished only to be of service - and to be a long way from Loki - and on the other - the beast.

The two men were adversaries, dancing on eggshells around each other and, despite the strength of the Beast, Banner clearly found it comforting to know that there was something close by that could kill Loki. The former King of Asgard wondered how Banner would react if he knew that Loki had once expressed that very same sentiment. 

"I’m not sure she could really eat _me_ but if she did I would give her much worse indigestion than Hela." Thor spoke without even looking up.

"You give everyone indigestion, Thor. What are you reading anyway, it’s unprededented to see your nose in a book?" Loki reached over and lifted the edge of the tome so that he could see the title. "’The Royal and Ancient Codices of Asgard.’ I see you are taking our discussion last night seriously then?"

"Yes. Yes I am, " Thor lifted his eyes and gave his brother a crooked smile, "and I think I can see a way forward but I could use your help."

 

................

 

Loki had vacated the King’s Suite of his own accord - it had seemed appropriate, given the circumstances. He was back in his old rooms for now and if he was honest, he was far more comfortable. Perhaps the strain of maintaining an illusion had something to do with it but he’d never felt comfortable in the room his mother and father had once occupied. 

His rooms were smaller but it was built into a corner and as such, the bedchamber had large arched windows on two sides that looked out over the city - or what was left of it. A balcony ran around the ninety degree angle, accessed by a door on each wall. The rooms had a wonderful quality of light both during the day and at night and this evening was particularly beautiful. The moon was full and hung low over the water that surrounded the city, a billion fiery stars reflected in the surface - it was breathtaking, as if the world had been created anew and he was seeing it for the first time. 

"A Phoenix rising from the ashes..." he murmured to himself as he turned away from the window and tugged his tunic off over his head. 

"Are you talking about the city or yourself?"

"That is a pretty impressive entrance, even for you" he grinned, savouring her voice for a moment before turning his head. 

She was reclining in one of the arched windows, settled into the curve of its frame, naked and backlit by the silver light of the moon so that her skin appeared luminous. One leg dangled carelessly, the other drawn up to her chest. 

He remained standing in the middle of the room simply because he wanted to carry on drinking in this view - this perfect vision of his witch, his dragon.

"You look like Peter Pan."

Her head tilted forward in curiosity. "Peter Pan? How do you know about Peter Pan?"

"Have you forgotten? Do you not remember me telling you that the study of art and literature from all the realms was an essential part of my education? It’s how I recognised who you were after all - all those years ago."

"That’s true, I _had_ forgotten. Forgive me, it does seem like a very long time ago. "

"You are forgiven."

"So quickly? I do recall a time when you would have punished me all night for a lot less."

"You sound disappointed, do you _want_ to be punished?"

"Eventually, yes but not right now."

"What do you want right now?"

"I want to be loved. I’ve cleaned my teeth and everything..."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t panic - the next chapter will follow straight on from this one and there will be a full reunion :D


	25. Chapter 25

He held out a hand towards her, inviting her to come to him though the chivalrous gesture was, as always, offset by the way his head dipped making his eyes peer up from under his brow, and the wicked grin that spread across his face.

It was a lethal combination and it drew the witch in like a magnet.

Her shadow followed her obediently as she crossed the bright arch of moonlight that fell across the floor and laid her hand in his. He tugged her the last few inches, until her breasts were pressed against his bare chest and that megawatt smile was inches from her face.

"That road trip with your brother really has done you good. You are positively _smouldering_ , my king."

His hold on her hand tightened and he folded her arm up behind her back, their fists clenching against her spine. Not hard enough to hurt but firmly enough to elicit a an exhalation of breath from her. He was in control, he was going to stay that way for the time being and she was ready for everything he was going to put her through. 

"I’d say it was the dragon that sets the fire burning in my icy heart." 

"How eloquent and flattering..." She was trying very hard to stay cool but the desire blazing in his eyes and the sinful corruption in his soft words were making any attempt at cool impossible. 

And, oh god, he was hard. 

 _So_ hard. 

"You want to be _loved_ , witch?"

Never had that verb sounded so utterly filthy.

"Yes."

"Love me first then."

She was already on her knees, his hand now twisted in her hair as the other freed his cock and fed it to her.

He was heavy, salty and so thick that she could barely cover more than the first two inches but she sucked with an eager and earnest diligence, occasionally breaking to slide the tip of her tongue along his full length and back before filling her mouth with him again. 

"How deliciously obedient you are tonight," he purred, dragging her head back a little as he started to thrust. "Take it a little deeper, witch, I know you can."

Her obedience was entirely gifted and he knew it. It could end at any moment - she had never been a true sub and very much enjoyed a good fight after all but there were times when the cogs of the universe slipped into alignment and her erratic craving to be dominated coincided with his darkest desires in a perfect storm of carnal satisfaction and an unconventional expression of love.

"Does it make that pretty cunt wet? Hmm?" It was barely more than a velvet toned murmur, "Are you aching to be fucked? Let’s find out shall we..."

The flagstones were cold and she could taste the dust as her face was pressed against them. His weight settled on her squeezing the air out of her lungs in a long, drawn out moan as he filled her with cock. 

His control wavered with his first few erratic and thirsty thrusts and Morgan’s quiet chuckle punctuated her gasps. She knew it would only provoke him further and her surety was rewarded with his lips brushing her ear as his thrusts slowed down to longer, more deliberate strokes.

"I’m going to fuck you into the floor," he whispered as if he was declaring his undying devotion, "and tomorrow I’m going to marry you."

"Loki...?”

_What the hell?_

 It was his turn to laugh at her and he wasn’t even going to let her think about the bombshell he’d just dropped. 

"Come, little dragon, I want to feel your cunt squeeze my cock as you come."

She was in no mood to argue with him. He leaned back and manipulated her hips into a higher position allowing her a little more purchase in the floor. Her palms spread out against the cold stone as she pushed back on to him, desperate now to do exactly as he demanded.  Her moans rose into frantic screams as he shoved himself into her, angling with familiar precision at the sweet spot that he knew would bring her to the quivering, shuddering mess that he needed her to be.

Sweat glistened on his torso and ran in rivulets down his chest, diverting through the rise and fall of his abs that tightened and stretched with every furious, hammering thrust. 

"Come for me," he ordered through gritted teeth and felt her jerk and spasm just as his own self-control abandoned him to his own, devastating climax. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to add much more to this but life got in the way - however I feel more chapters bubbling under so watch this space.


End file.
